Gaining Trust
by Owlus
Summary: "Due to a sudden... change in events, and a new ruler, Hueco Mundo has agreed to sign a treaty with Soul Society. They will merge. They'll try to control their hollows and we'll refrain from harming any Arrancar who doesn't harm us." Yamamoto closed the scroll he had been showing everyone, presumably the treaty both he and Tia Halibel had signed. "Any problems?"
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi. Many pairings in this one.**

**Under the rule of Tia Halibel, Queen of Hueco Mundo, Hueco Mundo and Seireitei have formed a truce. Many Arrancar have switched ranks, as they've basically merged. Some of the more powerful Espada have even joined the Gotei 13.**

**Kurotsuchi has resurrected Szayel and the two have worked together, albeit reluctantly, to resurrect other Arrancar, namely the Espada and some of their Fraccion/Fracciones.**

**Hope you like!**

**EDIT: I've changed the story a bit, and I'm going to extend the later chapters so they drag on. Not much change might happen in the first few, but I _will _change the later ones. Lot's of major edits, and changes big and small.**

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><p><span>New Recruit<span>

"Due to a sudden... change in events, and a new ruler, Hueco Mundo has agreed to sign a treaty with Soul Society. They will merge. They'll try to control their hollows and we'll refrain from harming any Arrancar who doesn't harm us." Yamamoto closed the scroll he had been showing everyone, presumably the treaty both he and Tia Halbel had signed. "Any problems?"

"WHAT!?" There was a sudden outburst from everyone. Kenpachi waved his sword in the air and yelled triumph; about getting to fight that praying mantis guy. Yachiru cheered also.

Hitsugaya inwardly fumed, but he was controlling his temper by crossing his arms and scowling as usual. Komamura exchanged a serious conversation with his Lieutenant, Iba. There was the slightest wrinkle in Byakuya's usually flawless brow and Renji was full on screaming at Hisagi, who was screaming back despite Kensei screaming at him to shut up.

"But Yama-jii..." Kyoraku whined, fanning himself. "Those Arrancar are gonna drink all the sake!"

"Yeah!" Rangiku complained. "There'll be nothing left to drink!"

"...Is that really what you're all worrying about? I think that the disappearance of sake is a good thing!" Hitsugaya exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. "I'm sick of dealing with your hangovers, Matsumoto!"

Soifon was silent. She privately agreed that they should merge with the Arrancar, mainly because she could get her ninja army to assassinate rebels. They'd have more soldiers, and since Tia Halibel was an inexperienced ruler, they could easily dominate Las Noches. But she wasn't about to voice that opinion.

It had been about a year since Aizen was defeated. A year since Kurosaki Ichigo had lost his powers, and was stuck living as a normal human who couldn't see spirits at all. It had also been a year since Urahara Kisuke and Kurotsuchi Mayuri had proposed to resurrect the Arrancar using what scraps they could find and piecing them together. Soifon felt a coppery taste in her mouth as she wondered what other "modifications" they had taken care of.

"We'll have more comrades," Komamura argued. "They're pretty powerful themselves, and we could join forces to fight any new enemies." **(A/N: Quincy arc xD)**

"Exactly." Yamamoto clapped his hands and there was silence as everyone in the room turned to look at him. "Starting tomorrow, you will all have to put up with Arrancar roaming around Seireitei!"

"But how...?"

"Yoohoo!" A giant screen unfolded out from nowhere behind Yamamoto and even the old man jumped out of the way, his beard and eyebrows swaying as he landed a good distance away. Urahara Kisuke stood there, waving excitedly as he watched all the Shinigami gape at him. "Doesn't the black sky look so lovely today?"

Soifon stiffened and narrowed her eyes at him as he waved to her again and again, grinning like an idiot. She scoffed. "What are you doing there?"

"It's a special mission, Soi-chan!"

"..."

"What's wrong?"

"BAN- mmph!"

"Eheheh..." Omaeda clasped a hand over her mouth and Yamamoto wiped his forehead.

"Don't dawdle, Urahara!" Kisuke was kicked out of the way by Kurotsuchi, who stepped into the picture, grinning widely. "I've spent quite a while here with Sasakibe, and we've not been attacked! Only by Gillians but that's okay because they're mindless beasts."

"Genryuusai-dono..." Sasakibe emerged and slumped down on his knees. "I beg you! Take me home!"

"Chojiro?" Yamamoto stepped forward. "Since when were you there?"

"Kurotsuchi told me that I was under orders to come and help!"

"Oops." Urahara covered his mouth with his fan and started fanning himself, giggling.

A vein throbbed on Yamamoto's forehead. "Urahara..." Soifon shoved Omaeda off her and stood glowering at the screen while Isan patted her on the back, trying to calm her down.

"Well, Sasakibe-san's been a lot of help! Haven't you, Sasakibe?" Urahara slapped an arm over the poor Squad One lieutenant, whose expression made him look like he was begging Yamamoto to take him back.

Yamamoto sighed. "Alright... Have you finished resurrecting the Arrancar?"

"Yep!" Urahara dragged Szayel into the picture and the pink-haired Espada waved and smirked at Renji.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Renji just stood in shock, pointing at the screen and trembling.

"Y-y-yo-you..."

"Well... We've got another specimen here!" Szayel exited the screen, and yells were heard. "Come back here!"

"No! Screw you!" A male voice could be heard and it sounded as if a great chase was taking place.

"Gotcha! Sneaky little bastard..."

"Cero!" There was a red blast and the sound of coughing and hacking and curses.

"Well, as you can see, we've got them kicking and screaming. Definitely alive! Ish." Kurotsuchi spread his arms. "Eh. I guess we'll continue this mission."

"Take me back!" Sasakibe begged. "I don't want to be here anymore! My inner anglophile loathes this place!"

"Sip, Fornicaras!" There was another explosion.

"Szayel, you IDIOT!" Kurotsuchi yelled. "We need them ALIVE!"

Everyone in the meeting hall winced when they saw Szayel emerge, carrying an ash-covered, coughing Arrancar of average height.

"The name's... Tesla... Lindocruz..." he choked, trying to swat away the smoke. Szayel was carrying him with one of the tentacles he'd grown with his Resureccion, and he was looking condescendingly at Tesla who had Szayel's tentacle wrapped around his midsection.

"Ouch," Rukia murmured to Ukitake.

Isane and Nanao shuddered, withdrawing. They'd had... experiences with tentacles before. **(A/N: Bleach episode 228)**

"I feel sorry for that poor Arrancar," Isane mumbled, clutching her arms. "I know perfectly well what it's like being... being..."

"Shhh..." Nanao had her eyes closed shut. "I don't want to relive it."

"Aww, come here Nanao-chan!" Kyoraku charged towards Nanao but she whacked him away with her fan.

"So..." Yamamoto turned back to the screen. "That about wraps it up!"

"Bye!" Urahara waved, coming close to the camera. Tesla was still struggling wildly, screaming curses at Szayel. Sasakibe ran towards the camera screen before it switched off and the TV screen folded up again and disappeared into the ceiling.

"Dunno when _that _was installed, but expect Arrancars in Seireitei tomorrow! Dismissed!"

Everyone filed out, and Soifon caught a glimpse of Yamamoto examining the ceiling before the giant doors thudded shut.

-::-

A cloaked figure stepped cautiously into the small shop that was the Urahara Shop. It sold candy and other things, and the place reeked with the sweet scent of catnip. The stranger allowed himself to be drawn in, staring into space and inhaling the scent. As ridiculous as this place seemed, it was almost cool, judging by the catnip- no. Damn it, he would not give into his temptations. He shook his head and walked forward.

He was immediately met by a loud, catlike yowl and the yell of two children, as well as the shouts of a man. He froze, looking upon the scene with confusion. Why the hell was he here? Right. That man owed him an explanation.

"Jinta-dono!" A tall, bulky, dark-skinned man yelled, glasses flashing. "You'll scare our guest!" The stranger's eyes narrowed at this but he chose to ignore it.

"Not my fault, Tessai!" A red-haired boy dusted himself off, scowling and muttering under his breath, "Not my fault that cat was there."

"Well, _excuse me_!" The cat muttered, just low enough for Jinta not to hear.

"Jinta is stupid and childish," a small, black-haired girl murmured, patting the cat on the head. It closed its eyes in obvious bliss, then flicked its ears.

Tessai regarded the short, wiry stranger in the doorstep and ushered the children away. "Go play baseball or something, we-"

"Who's he?" Jinta's eyes widened as he saw the person in the doorway, frozen in confusion. "Some jackass friend of Carrot-Top's? God, he's short."

The stranger balled his fists, a vein throbbing on his forehead. "Don't imply that I am just some friend of your so-called Carrot-Top... And Why're you calling me short, you're a shrimp-"

"Jinta-dono! Remind me to wash out your mouth after this with soap! This person is a visitor for Mr. Urahara!" Tessai picked Jinta up by the shirt and dumped him outside next to the girl, who was trying not to smile, and slammed the door. There was mutinous muttering from outside and footsteps.

The cat shook itself. "Can't believe that little brat tripped over me," the cat muttered in its deep, masculine voice. It lashed its tail irritably.

Tessai sighed. "Such is the skill of Jinta-dono, Yoruichi-san."

"Let me in!" Another man's voice sounded from outside, as well as a bang on the wooden frame of the door. Yoruichi stifled a snigger and Tessai sighed, rubbing his temples. Walking over to the door, he opened it up just enough to let a tall blonde man with a black haori and a ridiculous-looking hat inside. He stumbled inside, tripping over the bottom rod that allowed the sliding door to function and almost landed on his face. Tessai snorted and stepped into the other room, leaving the blonde man to scratch his head confusedly.

Yoruichi sighed. "Kisuke, please."

"Right." Kisuke dusted himself off and gestured for the stranger to sit. "Seat yourself at the table, Vega-san. I will prepare some tea."

Ggio nodded curtly and took a seat at the low coffee table, not missing how Yoruichi's lucid yellow gaze rested on him for a moment, regarding him like he was a specimen and she was Szayel, and then her gaze flickered away and she yawned.

He pulled back his hood and peered around the room, with golden eyes like Yoruichi's. The shelves were lined with candy, he noted, and several anti-hollow products disguised as cleaning products. He narrowed his eyes, curling his lip slightly, but he was jerked out of it by a bang.

"Tea is ready!" Kisuke yelled.

Yoruichi let a grin spread across her face, or at least what seemed like a grin to her. To Ggio, it looked downright terrifying, and he even shrank back a little.

Ggio stared at the cup full of steaming liquid placed in front of him and wrinkled his nose. Aizen had insisted on serving tea to the Espada during the meetings so much that Barragan had been driven to the point of... No, he didn't want to mention it. But the Fraccion didn't exactly just sit around either. Instead, Aizen had made them sit around in a room, at tables with cups of tea. It was always tea, tea, tea. He had once spied Tesla sneak his cup under the table and pour it on the floor when Aizen's surveillance hollows weren't looking.

"- proposal for you, Ggio-" Ggio was dimly aware of Kisuke's annoying voice rambling on about something...

_SNAP!_

He recoiled as the blonde man in question snapped his fingers under his nose. "Hey," he complained.

Kisuke chuckled. "Spacing out, eh?'

Yoruichi licked her paw. "Remember. We're here on business."

"Of course." Kisuke's eyes glinted through the shadows cast by his annoying hat.

Ggio shifted. "What?"

Kisuke waved his fan dismissively. "What were you training for in Hueco Mundo?"

"Huh?"

"You were muttering, 'Gotta get stronger...Stronger...' What for?" Yoruichi tilted her head at him inquisitively, but Ggio still got the feeling she was examining him like Szayel examined a specimen.

"That..." Ggio scratched an itch on his neck. "I was training so I could have a rematch and find out what her strength really was."

"Yes, but how are you going to do that? You'll get apprehended if you lure her here and attack her full-on, even if you don't even injure her," Kisuke told him. Ggio saw him sneak an amused glance at Yoruichi; the two looked as if they were enjoying a show.

Ggio shrugged. "Dunno."

Yoruichi snorted. "You don't even know her name!"

Ggio scowled. "She didn't tell me."

"Heh."

"So... You gonna tell me?"

"Even if I do and you manage to find her, how're you gonna fight her without getting slammed into jail or obliterated?" Kisuke pouted. "I spent all that time piecing you together for nothing?"

Ggio blinked. "How _did _you manage to resurrect us? Some of us didn't even have bodies, such as Barragan and Ulquiorra."

Kisuke chuckled. "Reishi particles, my friend. The sensor detected them and I made a sort of vacuum to suck them all up."

Yoruichi flicked her tail. "You owe us."

Ggio snorted. "Every Arrancar fuckin' owes you for bringing us back from the dead."

"True." Kisuke lifted his hat and scratched his head.

Yoruichi glanced at Kisuke, who glanced back. Ggio shifted uncomfortably and took a sip of the tea.

"Well... You could always join the Gotei 13..." Yoruichi suggested.

Ggio spat out the small amount of tea that was in his mouth, and his two companions calmly watched as the drops splattered onto the table. Yoruichi regarded them for a moment, and went back to licking her paw.

"Hell fucking... just no," Ggio growled, banging a fist on the table. "Not Shinigami!"

Yoruichi lashed her tail. "You owe us for bringing the pieces of your sorry ass back, and piecing it together just so you can go back to wandering around Hueco Mundo and do shit that's unhelpful?!" she snarled.

Ggio narrowed his eyes. "You're not making the other Arrancar do this."

Yoruichi stamped a paw on the table. "Ulquiorra's been convinced to join the Gotei 13," she huffed, "And Barragan? I don't even know. He's agreed to let Szayel examine him, for fear that he'll be disintegrated again."

Ggio sighed and rubbed his temples. "But why?"

"'Truth is, we need more people," Kisuke told him.

Ggio raised an eyebrow. "Sure..."

Yoruichi flicked her tail. "You'll be able to fight her again if you join her Squad... They call it 'sparring', and you won't be destroyed again because of the truce."

Ggio crossed his arms. "You sure?"

Kisuke waved a hand dismissively. "Yeah, that's what Nnoitra and Grimmjow decided on. Ulquiorra just joined because we made him, but he might have had another reason... Anyway, Nel's also in the Gotei 13, though I'm not sure what squad. Maybe different ones for her child self and her adult self..."

Ggio listened to Kisuke's rambling.

Yoruichi cut in. "So, if you join the Gotei 13, you'll find out her name, and you'll get to spar with her, to supposedly kick her ass and test how much the training has helped."

"Hmph." Ggio stared pointedly at Yoruichi and she stared back defiantly. Gold met gold, and Ggio was forced to back down from the intensity of her stare. "Fine."

"Yeah!" Kisuke punched the air.

Ggio drew his hood back over his head. "Well... I'll be going now. Back to Hueco Mundo, but I'll visit soon, I guess..." He stood up and approached the door. "It's Squad Two right?"

Kisuke nodded eagerly. "Yes!"

Ggio sighed. "Well then. Goodbye." He opened the door, stepped out, and slammed it shut.

-::-

it had been a week or so after the captains' meeting had taken place, and most of the Arrancar were here, and already causing trouble. Explosions were an everyday occurrence now, with that tall, spoon-looking Espada fighting with Captain Zaraki. Soifon rubbed her temples, hearing another one and a few maniacal bursts of laughter.

"Captain Soifon!" There was a call. Soifon tiredly walked to the office door and opened it, seeing that it was a member of the Riteitai **(A/N: the messenger dudes)**.

"Yes...?"

"I have come to deliver this letter." The man bowed and handed her an envelope.

Soifon thanked the messenger and he disappeared with Shunpo. Closing the door, she made her way back to her desk and sat down, all while tearing open the envelope and reading the letter.

_Dear Soi-chan! (Kisuke)_

_We have sent this to inform you that there will be at least one new Arrancar recruit for your Squad._

_You may remember him as the one who fought you during the Fake Karakura Town battle. The kitty guy! His skills will be useful, and you'l get a golden-eyed cat for your squad!_

_Anyway we sent you the application form as well. Please sign yes!_

_From Kisuke!_

There was also an inky black paw-print from Yoruichi next to Kisuke's signature.

Soifon shut the letter and exhaled. That bastard Kisuke. But she _should _listen to Yoruichi-sama. Right? Because Yoruichi had been a captain and the ultimate master. The Flash Goddess. She was a professional. She knew what abilities Squad Two applicants needed, and could probably see potential in this guy. But they were both kitties, so maybe Yoruichi was being biased to allow cats, or rather sabre-tooth tiger hollows to join their ranks.

This was a hard decision to make. Yoruichi had half-convinced her, but the fact that Urahara thought so as well made her have an urge to sign no just to spite him. That and the fact that the man was bad news. He could have been influencing Yoruichi-sama, because they lived together. He could have used the kitty card against her. That worked surprisingly well when she was in cat form, and she liked anything to do with cats.

She made her way back to her office and sat, lost in thought. Should she recruit the Arrancar? She wondered why she'd spent so much time worrying over if a petty Arrancar couldn't join her Squad. _I mean, Kenpachi's probably signed some of the more bloodthirsty Arrancar into his squad, so I wouldn't be the only one with Hollows in the division._

He had suitable abilities. Yes, he'd been fast. Faster than she'd thought. Almost impressive- if she wasn't biased against hollows. He was sneaky and light on his feet. Those were good traits for a member of Squad Two. She remembered the numerous times he'd sneaked up to her and delivered a blow to the back. He was also powerful. As she'd stated before, she'd allowed him to kick her around but his blows packed more punch than she'd expected, and they actually made her smash through several buildings as opposed to just thudding into them from a kick by a weakling.

His Resurreccion's final form was like her Bankai, she remembered with a pang. Large, flashy, it shamed his reputation as a fast and silent assassin, she remembered. It was much like her Bankai, the way it differed from his initial abilities. His Resurreccion in itself was like her Shikai. Both with claw-like blades on their hands, both that were good for assassination, although hers was more effective, and both with large flashy final forms.

Although their flashy final forms were strong- her Bankai was. Maybe his Tigre Estoque El Sable increased his strength and Cero greatly, because there was no way it could have increased his speed, with all that bulk. Her own Bankai couldn't increase her speed, seeing as she had to lug around a great bloody rocket launcher and wear an iron sash. But it could have been strong.

He'd been Barragan's subordinate. He must understand it's good to have a hostile relationship between master and subordinate, right? It also meant that she could kick him around and send him on deadly missions if her less-powerful ninjas were incapable. He was a reusable ninja.

And he _was _a feline... No. She must think about actual benefits to the squad and the Gotei 13.

She should assert her own opinions sometimes. She should listen to herself.

And right now, she was telling herself to sign yes.

She hoped she didn't regret it as she lowered the brush onto the parchment.

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><p><strong>Welp. Research was involved. Omakes. Onmitsukidō. I hope my author's notes didn't annoy you too much.<strong>

**Hope you liked. Leave reviews and criticism and you get a cookie, or maybe a plush black cat, complimentary of Soifon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**The much-edited Chapter Two. I wrote parts of this at school cause I felt guilty about being super lazy.**

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><p><span>Soul Society<span>

The next day was a confusing one.

Soifon flash-stepped to the office, and to the massive amount of paperwork she'd been given. She wanted to be a good captain that followed all orders, but privately, she hated paperwork, especially squad applications by academy graduates. She'd lost track of loud, obnoxious students who couldn't sneak if their lives depended on it. She knew this because of the descriptions on the application papers. And she'd secretly been spying on them because, well, you need to be a ninja to know one. And not one of them noticed she was spying on them.

She sat down at her desk and began another long, lazy day of paperwork and no training. She was still honing her Shunko and would have polished it up by now if she'd been training like she wanted to. It'd also be easier if Omaeda helped her with paperwork, but he never did. Too busy running around eating rice crackers. That man was sneaky in avoiding lots of work, and that was a ninja trait that Soifon didn't like. It meant that she had to do all the work, both Captain's and Lieutenant's. She could understand why Hitsugaya yelled so much despite still being a kid.

She got started on more and more applications, skimming over them and leaving comments and signature on the bottom.

_Hmm... Loud and strong, and likes fighting foes head on? That's not a very good skill for joining Squad Two. You need to be sneaky. Squad Two are ninjas. Assassination squad. I'm saying no. Perhaps you should join Squad Eleven, where those other brutes are. They'll surely welcome you._

"Caaaptaaaiin..." Omaeda lumbered in, not holding his rice cracker bag for once. "The Arrancar are beating people up near our courtyard and most of them aren't even joining our squad."

"That's nice," she said absently. "Nice to see they like training."

"But they're not ninjas! They're- how do you say this... Barbarians!"

"I'm busy now," she said irritably. "Take care of the situation yourself. You're a lieutenant with Shikai."

"But-"

"Or would you prefer doing your actual share of paperwork?"

"...No thanks, Captain."

"But you still have to do your lieutenant work sometimes. You can't just dump it all on me!" Soifon looked up to see Omaeda gone. "OMAEDA!"

Gods, he was lazy. But at least he didn't drop rice cracker crumbs all over the floor like usual. There was a reason that the far corner of the room was occupied by a broomstick.

Soifon rubbed her temples, hearing explosions and crashes and bangs outside, along with yells. It seemed as if there was fighting going on right outside her office. Those damn Arrancar were trashing the area already?

She had a pounding headache and banged her head on her table, jolting the small pot of ink. She had to deal with this sooner or later, but she was _not _happy about it. No goddamn way was she ever going to be happy about imbeciles wrecking all the buildings for their so-called _fun_.

-::-

Ggio was not feeling the love.

Since Yoruichi had told him he'd been accepted, she made him take the earliest Garganta trip. He wanted to sleep, but nooo. He was bustled off to the Garganta at the Urahara Shop. He'd accidentally fallen out of the Garganta into a random field on the outskirts of Rukongai in a face-plant. He was sure that there would be a scowl permanently etched into the earth where he'd landed but yippee, he was in Soul Society.

A few hollows had come to investigate; little piglet hollows, and they wouldn't stop pestering him, uttering little oinks and squeals and head-butting his ankles. He wore a hooded cloak, which covered most of his face, but the little monsters had tried to eat it. He just couldn't get them away from him.

So they followed him as he wandered the forest. He had to admit, they were cute and he'd gotten attached to one he decided to call Bubu. But then he had to leave them when he got hopelessly lost and had to fly up. Once he flew up, however, he had to take in a breath.

Soul Society was green and colourful, and the Rukongai districts were a maze of little houses. Bordering them were green fields and forests, as well as mountains capped with snow. He'd already known the sky was hopelessly blue, but it looked beautiful. It didn't look like the Karakura Town. There was way more nature. He spied the circular wall around Seireitei and used Sonido to get closer, trying to drown out the squeals of the piglet hollows.

Seireitei was well looked-after, with nice paved floors and walls. It looked like a labyrinth, with circular outer walls, and the middle consisted of elegant, high-rise buildings, with other buildings clustered around it. There was an overhang next to those buildings, and a wall around the inner circle of tall buildings, with bushes and trees clumped around it.

Hueco Mundo was all black and white. The sky was pitch black with a constant moon, and several gloomy, gray clouds. The sun never shined, and it was pretty miserable. The white desert was infested with minor hollows, and there were only dead trees to spruce the area up. In Las Noches, it was slightly better. Aizen had put a circular dome around the palace, crafted to look like a sky with a sunny day. Queen Halibel had privately liked having some blue around, and ad kept it, even repairing the hole that Ulquiorra had made when smashing through the sky in his Resureccion. It had actually looked pretty cool, but Halibel insisted on patching it up with more fake sky, even though the palace name, Las Noches, literally meant "the nights".

Barragan was immensely displeased with this, and the fact that his some of his Fracciones had chosen to live better lives. Avirama had also joined the Third Division, along with Ulquiorra. Kira thought that he'd be better suited for the Eleventh Division because of his bloodlust, but the guy had insisted. Findorr was joining the Ninth Division, whom he thought could benefit from his "extensive expertise in everything". So Barragan basically spent his days sulking and plotting murder while his remaining Fracciones sat around and did whatever they usually did.

He sighed as he walked around Seireitei. His long braid swung around behind him, and his hands were stuck into his pockets. People glanced and whispered, confused as to why he wasn't running around and attacking people like the other Arrancar. Truth was, he was lost. He'd wanted to find the Squad Two headquarters and barracks, but he was confused by this maze of a city, and his feline pride stopped him from asking for directions. At least Las Noches was easier to navigate through, but maybe he was just more used to it.

He saw the occasional explosion in the distance and large figures darting around. He wasn't sure if he'd imagined it or not, but he swore he'd heard childish giggles, and the same voice shouting encouragement. He wondered whether this was normal, or if it was just Nnoitra or Grimmjow blowing things up. Judging by the screams, yells and mildly curious glances, Ggio guessed it happened occasionally.

"Get the fuck outta the way!"

Ggio barely had time to look up when a large Shinigami suddenly flew through the air and barreled into him, knocking the wind out of him. They crashed into the wall, cracking it and sending chunks of rubble raining down, along with dust. Ggio's chest heaved as he heard a whoop and a yell, followed by chuckling.

Ggio still felt winded, even when the Shinigami jumped off him. Gasping, he raised himself and dusted his uniform off.

"Oh dear... I think you just injured one of the new recruits, Iba..."

"Not my fault Ikkaku blasted me outta the sky, Yumichika."

"Hey! We were sparring!"

"You alright?"

Ggio blinked up at the taller Shinigami. Everyone was bloody taller than him. One had hair in a neat black bob and sported multi-coloured feathers on his right eye. The second man had crew-cut, a moustache and wore sunglasses, and the third man was bald and wore what looked like Grimmjow-style red eyeliner.

Iba, the first man, held out a hand. "Iba Tetsuzaemon," he said, shaking Ggio's hand roughly.

"Madarame Ikkaku!" the bald man hollered, waving what seemed to be a spear in the air.

"Ayasegawa Yumichika." The bowl-cut man flicked a strand of hair from his face.

"Ggio Vega. Nice to meet you..." Ggio inclined his head coldly and turned to walk, but the three men caught up to him.

"Where're you headed?" Yumichika asked. "Seireitei is large and an maze-like city. It's easy for new guys like you to get lost."

"Especially if your sense of direction is as bad as Captain Zaraki's," Iba muttered under his breath. Ikkaku elbowed him in the ribs and Iba cursed.

"Our captain just likes exploring!" he defended.

"Yes, and he has a habit of arriving fashionably late." Ggio raised an eyebrow. He didn't understand this Yumichika dude.

Iba crossed his arms. "He's a barbarian with no sense of direction!"

Ikkaku snorted. "So what? Fighting is fun! And you're one to talk about direction, _Iba_."

"Please." Iba scoffed. "When have I ever led you wrong? Eh?"

He was silenced when Yumichika and Ikkaku gave him a _look_. Yumichika turned back to Ggio. "So, what are you doing in a place like this? Sorry you had to see it in ruins. Seireitei is usually extremely beautiful."

Ggio opened his mouth to explain. "I'm-"

Iba slapped Yumichika on the shoulder. "Usually it's your captain who smashes them buildings."

Ikkaku kicked him in the shins. "It's fighting! Fighting is good!"

Yumichika grabbed both of them by the ear and smiled pleasantly at Ggio, as if he didn't have two struggling men in an ear death-grip. "So what are you doing here?"

Ggio glanced at him, not sure what to think. "Uh... As you said earlier, I'm joining a squad."

"Most of the Arrancar joined our squad," Yumichika mused, letting Iba and Ikkaku go. "But I- sorry, _we _didn't see your name in the application forms."

"Aw, that means I can't fight you!" Ikkaku lamented. "I was wondering what your abilities were."

"Please. All you think about is fighting, Madarame. Being a Shinigami ain't all about that!" Iba scolded.

Ggio flushed, remembering his fight back at Karakura and how easily he'd gotten his ass kicked. Besides, drying that way felt horrible. He might as well have fricking exploded.

Thankfully they didn't notice. "What squad're you joining?"

"Squad Two," Ggio replied sullenly.

"Sneaky assassinations," Ikkaku sniffed, "Almost no fighting involved."

This prompted Iba to grab Ikkaku in a headlock and hold him up. "Not everything is about fighting!"

"But- you're- fighting!" the clean-shaven man choked, clawing at his throat. They started tussling on the ground while Yumichika looked on in distaste. Ggio had to physically stop himself from grinning like an idiot at the scene.

Yumichika turned back to him. "Assassination is attractive enough. None of that ugly screaming and torn up clothes."

Ggio nodded, puzzled. They watched Iba and Ikkaku fight a while longer before Yumichika just walked up to them and kicked them on the ass.

"Get up."

They scrambled to their feet, dusting themselves off. "Sorry 'bout that," Iba puffed, scratching his head. "Got caught up in the moment."

Ikkaku dug his pinkie into his ear. "And you said not everything was about fighting," he snickered.

Iba shot him a death glare before turning back to Ggio. "So. Finding the way to the Squad Two barracks? We'll come with you, seeing as we've got nothing better to do."

Ggio inwardly cringed at the thought of having Shinigami accompany him, but he had to get over it, seeing as he was going to join a whole bloody Shinigami organization. Shrugging, he turned to them. "So... Where is it?"

"I know!" Ikkaku declared, but Yumichika slapped a hand on his shoulder.

"From what I recall, your sense of direction is worse than the lieutenant's. How about _I_ lead us?"

"How come you never interfere with the lieutenant's shitty path-finding?"

"Because I'm smart enough to know she'll mess up my hair if I contradict her."

Ikkaku lapsed back into angry muttering, knowing Yumichika was right. The bowl-cut man led them down the path, pushing past other Shinigami. Ggio followed them.

The explosions were becoming bigger. There was a great thud, maniacal cackling, and they all winced. "Looks like they're having fun," Iba muttered.

Yumichika waved his hand down a path strewn with rubble with a strained smile on his face. "Aha... Here's the path down to the Squad Two barracks..." He muttered something inaudible under his breath.

"Thanks..." Ggio walked over, leaping on the rocks and avoiding unstable ones. Ikkaku patted Yumichika on the shoulder while a confused-looking Iba stared at them.

"He's worrying about how much this'll cost us," Ikkaku informed him, "Since the captain ain't all that big on keeping things in once piece."

"Tch."

Ggio picked his way through the rubble. The sound of fighting reached his ears, as well as shrieking and yelling. He could plainly hear Nnoitra, the spoon-head, laughing, and another voice he supposed was Captain Zaraki's. He swore he heard a few childish giggles as well, but it must have been his imagination. What would a small child be doing here?

He watched as a tall, lanky man dressed in white, and with long black hair raise a huge, double crescent-moon scythe. He sported a white plate behind his head giving him the look of a spoon. Ggio snickered. Spoon-head Nnoitra. Nnoitra raised his weapon just in time to block a blow from a huge man in a tattered captain's haori. It was undoubtedly Captain Zaraki Kenpachi, the Squad Eleven captain. Ggio's eyes widened at the sight of him. He wore an eyepatch, and his hair was styled into spikes with bells on the end. Ggio could hear faint tinkling.

Even more surprising was the small, pink-haired girl on his shoulder, laughing and cheering as if it was just a circus show. She didn't mind getting thrown around; in fact, she seemed to be treating it like a game. They all looked incredibly happy for some reason, and Ggio watched Nnoitra launch an attack at Kenpachi, who blocked it with his sword. However, the sheer force of the blow sent him flying through the air, although he looked elated. The little pink-haired girl hopped lightly off his shoulder and landed on the roof of a wall. Too soon did Ggio realize where Kenpachi was going to land. He had barely enough time to Sonido out of the way before Kenpachi crashed into the only undamaged part of the wall.

_BOOM!_

Kenpachi landed, tumbling head over heels, but he got to his feet straight after, hollering and brandishing an unusually long sword with a jagged edge. "Nnoitra!" he bellowed. "Get down here so I can kick your ass!"

"Fight!" Nnoitra yelled.

"Yeah!" the little girl cheered, waving her own sword in the air. Ggio privately thought someone her age shouldn't have their own sword, but she looked like she was more than capable of using it. Her pink hair was cut short in a bob, and she happily squealed, hopping up and down like the child she was. Ggio heaved a sigh.

"Huh. Looks like no one's yellin' at us to fuck off." Nnoitra planted his scythe into the wall he was standing on top of. "Usually someone tells us to stop trashin' the place."

"Yeah! And then Yun-Yun cries when they hand him the paper!" The little girl looked as if she didn't care about this. "And Pachinko-Head has to pat him on the shoulder until he stops crying."

Kenpachi shrugged. "It ain't my business, Yachiru."

Yachiru made a face. "Maybe this is making Yun-Yun sad."

They finally noticed him. Kenpachi turned to him with a wide grin and Ggio, despite everything, gulped and tried not to shrink away. He was faintly pressured by this monster's Reiatsu, but it was more of a faint discomfort. Or maybe the guy was limiting it.

"Hey, squirt." Kenpachi looked intimidating, shadows cast over his face and a scary grin on his features. "Zaraki Kenpachi. This," he gestured to his shoulder, "is Kusajishi Yachiru. You here to join a squad?"

"Join us!" Yachiru suddenly popped out from behind Kenpachi's shoulder, the one he'd indicated. "I need to think up a nickname for you. Hmm…"

Yachiru thoughtfully put her hand to her mouth, deep in thought. Kenpachi stopped watching her fondly and turned back to Ggio. "So, what're you doing here, squirt?"

_Squirt…? _Ggio ignored this. "Squad Two."

Kenpachi scoffed. "Oh. That squad. No fighting involved there."

Nnoitra landed beside them with a thud. "Hey! What happened to the fight?" he demanded. Then he noticed Ggio. "Oh. It's you. Cat-boy number two."

Ggio scowled and crossed his arms. "Spoon-head," he retorted.

"Got guts, facing an Espada like that, little cat," Nnoitra sneered.

"You're no longer an Espada. Just a member of the Gotei 13."

"Why you-"

"Kitty!" Yachiru yelled, pounding Kenpachi's shoulder with a fist. "That's my new name for you!" They all stared, horrified at Yachiru. A wide smirk-grin spread over Nnoitra's face and he opened his mouth to say something to Ggio, but Yachiru hopped over to him and smacked him on the head. "You and Kitty have to get along, Spoony!" she scolded.

Nnoitra winced. "Yes, lieutenant."

Ggio almost laughed. This little girl was the lieutenant? She'd better be hiding some immense power; there was no way they'd hire some little girl to be a lieutenant. But by the way Nnoitra was cringing away from her, she must have been powerful. Either that or he'd get in big trouble with Kenpachi if he bothered her.

Kenpachi laughed instead. "Still! You got guts like that, standing up to this guy!" He clapped Ggio on the back. "Let's fight, sometime!"

"Yes, sir," Ggio muttered, privately deciding that he was never going to accept this lovely invitation to battle to the death.

"Now! Back to the fight!"

"Yeah!" Nnoitra yelled, slashing in a wide arc at Kenpachi. The large man laughed and jumped upwards, Yachiru once again clinging to his haori. Her laughing filled the air as they fought and smashed buildings, aswell as what was left of the rubble. Ggio dodged the blasts as he tried to locate the Squad Two barracks and office, but he couldn't look around without almost losing his ear from a blast.

"HOLD IT!" There was a flash of light as a familiar voice rang out through the area. Kenpachi and Nnoitra ignored it, still fighting in close proximity, but flashes of black, white and orange darted around them. Soon after, both were pinned to large pieces of rubble with glowing Kido rope and large thorn-like daggers, also Kido, presumably.

Ggio watched in shock as the small, fairly petite woman suddenly appeared in front of him, holding a sword to the left side of his neck. His other side was blocked with a dagger. The woman stared at him with steely gray eyes.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

"Wha-what? Who are you?"

The woman held the sword tip closer. "Soifon, captain of Squad Two. Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō, as well as the Corps Commander of the Executive Militia of the Onmitsukidō." Her white-wrapped braids swung behind her. "Tell me what you are doing or risk prosecution."

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><p><strong>EDITED A LOT :D<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Rematch! Soifon VS Ggio Vega**

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><p><span>Rematch!<span>

Ggio would have liked to say, "Here to fight you," in a calm, confident voice, but he didn't. Instead, he managed a croaky warble as he remembered the battle at Karakura. She had killed him, and the memory of dying like that was enough to make the blood drain from his face.

The point of the sword came closer. "State what you're doing here."

Ggio stopped spacing out and faced the woman glaring at him with narrowed eyes. She was strangely pretty, in a fierce and deadly way. He found his voice and cleared his throat. "Don't remember me?" he smirked.

The woman narrowed her eyes further, and swung her blade upwards so fast Ggio thought he was going to lose an ear. Instead, she flipped his hood back, revealing those cold, luminescent ochre eyes. She gasped. "Ggio Vega?"

"I feel so loved." He raised a hand and pried the sword point away from him with a finger, so that it no longer rested on his nose. "I take it I'm part of the squad now?"

"Not quite," she said coldly. "Not fully accepted. You have to do a number of tasks before you're a full member, and then _maybe _a seated officer, though it's _very _unlikely." She whipped around on her heel and stalked off, beckoning. Ggio went to follow her, but a small pink-haired girl cut in front of him.

"Bee-chan!" Yachiru hopped over. Soifon turned around, and Ggio waited to see how she'd react. Yachiru tugged on the sleeve of her Shinigami uniform. "Any candy?"

Her features softened just a fraction when she looked down on the small pink-haired girl, and thrust a hand into her uniform, scrounging around. She pulled out a handful of brightly wrapped sweets and put them into Yachiru's cupped hands. "Here you go, Yachiru."

"Thanks!" Yachiru hopped back to Kenpachi, an elated expression on her face, and immediately sat down and started unwrapping the lollies, cramming several into her mouth. The woman watched her for a moment and walked off, Ggio following her.

"Hey! What about us?!" Nnoitra screeched. He reddened in rage as Ggio pulled a face, but Soifon sighed and snapped her fingers. The ropes ceased glowing and disappeared, breaking into tiny particles.

"Don't even think about fighting again," she said acidly, "Think about the amount of money you'll be charged for your 'fun'."

Kenpachi just snorted, swinging his arms experimentally before stomping back to the barracks, beckoning Nnoitra and Yachiru to follow him. Yachiru, who had already finished eating her candy, stuffed the wrappers inside her uniform and hopped back onto Kenpachi's shoulder.

The woman sighed and stalked back, but fast enough that Ggio had to jog to keep up with her despite the fact she was shorter than him. Was this her normal pace or what?

"Hey, I demand a rematch," he told her. No response. She was ignoring him again, just like in the fight. He grew impatient. "Captain, uh, Soifon! I've trained and I think we should have a rematch, just so I can see how strong you really are, and how much I've improved."

Still silence, as she strode forward. Ggio hissed and followed her up the stairs, up to the building. Ignoring him, was she? Maybe he'd just piss her off so much she'd snap and drop it.

"Rematch! I want to fight you!" Ggio tried, but nothing was able to faze this woman. Unbeknownst to him, she was silently fuming, and resisting the urge to whip around and kick him between the legs. But she'd trained for a long time in self-control and discipline. "Bee-chan," he teased. He missed the sound of Soifon grinding her teeth together at the nickname being used by someone _other _than Yachiru.

They made it to the office, and both of them were growing increasingly more irritated.

"Why won't you fight me?!" Ggio demanded, throwing his arms up.

The woman allowed a small smirk to cross her features. Crossing her arms, she leaned against the wall. "We don't want to pay an unnecessary amount of money for a pointless activity."

"Oh. Finally responding? _Now? _I'm hurt." Ggio scoffed. "Captain Zaraki doesn't care."

'I'm different to that barbarian. I kill in a minimum amount of strikes, unless examining my opponent. He just likes to let fights drag on so he can get _pleasure _from fighting."

"You're really determined on this, aren't you...?"

"As are you."

-::-

"Ah, I wonder how those two are dealing with each other." Yoruichi let a dreamy smile cross her features. She was sitting at the table in human form with Kisuke, and they were looking through old photobooks of the Arrancar while they were in the lab. "I'm looking forward to seeing him get beaten again and again by my little bee."

"He's going to annoy the hell out of her," Kisuke agreed. "But I thought you cared about Soifon? Why did you send her someone that would only piss her off?"

Yoruichi laughed. "Kisuke, you have no idea. She'll be ecstatic! Another punching bag!"

Kisuke snorted. "How cruel, Yoruichi."

"Hey! They might be friends later on. He seems annoying enough to get her to respond."

"And that might blossom into something else."

"Hah!" Yoruichi playfully punched her friend on the shoulder. "Considering she lets go of her childhood crush on you."

They grinned at each other, remembering Soifon's misinterpreted antics to try and get Kisuke fired, and roared with laughter until they cried.

-::-

Soifon sighed. "Fine, I'll fight you again. Just to see how much you've supposedly improved, and what kind of an asset you'll be to the division."

Ggio's eyes narrowed and his mouth curved into a smirk. "Great." He dived at her, Zanpaktou outstretched, but Soifon disappeared. He felt something grab his collar and yank him outside as he nearly choked.

Soifon dragged him out to the courtyard and slammed him into the ground. "Now, we fight."

Ggio barely had time to get up before he felt Soifon kick him in the stomach and he went flying. Regaining his composure, he disappeared with Sonido and reappeared behind her, but she blocked his sword with her own, twisting around and planting a foot into his chest again. He twisted around and tried to execute a roundhouse kick but she grabbed his ankle and threw him at the ground again, with surprising strength for such a small frame.

She wasn't going easy on him anymore. She wasn't just playing with him anymore. Judging by her cold gaze as she looked down at him, she didn't even care if he died.

"You aren't as strong as I thought you'd be," she murmured icily. She raised her sword in the blink of an eye to deflect a blow from him; as he pushed her she didn't even flinch or recoil. She just sighed. "And here I was, hoping you'd be a formidable opponent."

"You must have been holding back a lot," Ggio growled, sparks flying from their swords as they sparred. Soifon wasn't even breaking a sweat.

"Please. It pained me so much to have to lower myself to your level." She aimed a punch at his jaw but Ggio disappeared, reappearing behind her and kicking her in the back. All he did was push her a few metres, but nonetheless she seemed surprised. "Wow. You actually did that much?"

"Told you I'd been training." He used Sonido to appear in flashes around her, striking at her, but she deflected all of them. Her brows raised and she disappeared. He couldn't see her but later his legs were kicked out from under him as she swung her leg. Ggio would have tumbled to the ground if he hadn't used Sonido at the last minute and transported himself a few metres away with a buzzing sound.

Soifon rushed at him and he raised his sword, spinning around to deflect a blow, but Soifon still managed to get on his other side and swing her leg around, taking him down. Her gray eyes were cold and calculating as she deflected blows from him.

He aimed a kick at her stomach but she hopped onto his leg with utmost grace and twisted, swinging him away and sending him flying. She was unimaginably strong for her size and figure, but he still crashed into the wall.

"What's this? Given up?" Soifon flashed him a withering glance. "Pity. I thought you were really determined.

"Hardly," he muttered. And a smirk spread across his face. Rushing at her, he flashed around her, striking her. Soifon grudgingly admitted it was getting harder to deflect his blows; he had been hiding his strength and speed. He nicked her cheek and a line of red appeared on it.

"You were hiding your strength?" Soifon didn't seem outraged, she just seemed thoughtful.

"Misil Diente!" He wasn't even in Resurreccion but his fangs shot from his hollow mask, pinning Soifon against a pillar and embedding themselves in the stone. "I've been training."

He strolled over to her, a wide smirk across his features. Soifon regarded him curiously. "And you can do that out of Resurreccion now. Interesting."

He took her chin between his forefinger and thumb and held his face close to hers. "I learnt that holding back can be very useful."

"Tch." Soifon allowed herself to be in this position for a moment longer, then kicked his stomach and sent him flying. She yanked her sleeves out of the fangs, freeing herself, and tore the fangs out of the pillar. She allowed a small, mocking smile to cross her face. "You learnt from the best." She positioned herself, locking her eyes on his blurred figure, and threw the fangs at him with deadly accuracy. He dodged just quickly enough for the fang to miss his eye by a millimetre. The rush of wind tousled his scraggly hair and he jumped sideways, barely avoiding the fang that flew at his chest.

Soifon appeared behind him and executed a roundhouse kick, knocking his legs out from under him. Ggio hopped back to his feet and dove at her, sword outstretched, but she disappeared, reappearing a few metres away. They faced each other, circling like cats poised to attack.

Ggio opened his hand. A glowing orb of magenta energy formed in his palm, electrical buzzing sounding across the courtyard. It radiated more power than it had formerly appeared, and it was larger. Soifon's eyes widened and she leapt at him just as he murmured, "Cero."

She kicked him to the ground, straddling him with her knee on his shoulder and she yanked his arm out, diverting the blast. There was a huge explosion in the air, several times the power of his Cero the last time they fought. If it had hit Seireitei...

There was a flash of magenta light, smoke of roughly the same colour curling out of the blast. There were several gasps from people wandering Seireitei as they saw the cloud of smoke. It was almost Espada-level.

Soifon was breathing heavily, thinking about the Cero and what might have happened had she not diverted it. From Captain Kurotsuchi's studies and observations, an Espada-level Cero was only a few times larger. Ggio really _had _trained a lot, and he was several times better than he had been in the Fake Karakura Town fight. She grudgingly accepted that he was good.

She realized too late that she was again staring into his eyes. He wore an amused smirk. "Making yourself comfortable?" She scowled and jumped off him to see him straighten up and wince, swinging his arm around. "Sheesh, lady. Don't have to go around tearing people's arms off."

Soifon brushed herself off. "Not bad," she commented.

Ggio glanced askance at her. "Heh. Anyone could have thought it felt like eating acid for you to say that."

"Close."

Ggio wiped sweat off his brow, noticing she was hardly tired. "You didn't even break a sweat."

"No." She shook her head disbelievingly. "I'm a captain. It takes a lot more than _that _to push me."

"Pffft. Could have fooled me."

Soifon narrowed her eyes. "How about we fight some more and see what it takes to push you?"

Ggio took the challenge. "Sure."

-::-

They ended up sparring some more for several hours. Several Shinigami came to watch the two (short) people fight, mostly hand-to-hand combat and Hakuda but sometimes for long periods of time they were just blurs and flashes of black and white in the courtyard. They caused considerably less damage than Kenpachi and Nnoitra, but they knew Soifon knew better than to go around smashing things.

Ggio felt himself being steadily pushed back as he grew weary. He blocked blows again and again, surprised that strikes of that strength could come from such a slight frame. But obviously Soifon trained a lot. She wasn't even growing that tired, even though the fight dragged on, and now it was just Ggio trying to avoid being sliced to ribbons.

"What if I told you, we allow maiming here as long as Squad Four is in business?" Soifon's steely gray eyes glinted as she fought Ggio with more strength and determination, pushing him back. Ggio didn't know how long he could hold out for. His palms were sweaty and his knuckles were white from gripping Tigre Estoque so tightly.

"As long as no one dies..." He trailed off as she disappeared. He narrowed his eyes and used Sonido to get away a moment before Soifon reappeared exactly above the spot he'd just been standing in. Unfortunately, the effort of Sonido caused him to bend over, clutching his neck. He ducked a blow and jumped, once again using Sonido to get away.

Soifon privately thought he was stubborn and resilient, holding out for this long, but he was going to collapse soon. They had spent a lot of time fighting and she had pushed him to the limit. She dove at him, holding Suzumebachi out, ready for the kill. He turned around just in time to be met with a sword point between the eyes. She had stopped just before she plunged her sword into his skull.

"The fight is over," she stated icily. Then she turned around and walked off, leaving Ggio panting and glaring at her viciously. There was an outbreak of muttering from the crowd but she pointed her sword at them. "Scram." And they dispersed like a bunch of frightened rabbits.

Ggio got to his feet, albeit with some difficulty, and swayed a bit nauseously before running to catch up with his sword outstretched. "Wait-!"

"Don't even think about it," a voice growled. Omaeda, Soifon's lieutenant stood before him, towering over him with his superior height.

Ggio regarded him coldly. "You."

'"That's right. Me. And don't think about harming the cap'n outside of training, or you _will _be prosecuted." Omaeda shot him one last dirty look and walked away.

Soifon glanced at her lieutenant out of the corner of her eye and her gaze flickered back to the path before her. "Don't frighten out new recruit too much," she said with a smirk.

Omaeda drew in a huge breath before letting it out in a sigh. "Are you sure he's to be trusted?" he asked in an undertone. "He was totally going to stab you in the back-"

Soifon held up a hand. "I can take him on myself, thanks. And besides, he's in no shape to take on a captain _and _a lieutenant by himself, no matter how incompetent you may be."

"But-"

She rounded on him and pointed her sword at him all in a flash. Omaeda held his hands up as she hissed, "Do you not have faith in your captain?"

"I do, but-"

"Then don't question me." She then whipped around and sheathed her sword as fast as she had taken it out. She snapped her fingers. "Come."

Omaeda watched her go for a moment before trudging along, muttering under his breath. "Cold bitch..." Fortunately, she didn't or maybe she just chose not to respond. Ggio breathed heavily for a moment, not believing the sight before his eyes, and stumbled along with them.

She really was acid to everyone, and it wasn't just a show.

He caught up to Omaeda. The larger man regarded him for a moment before snorting and turning back. Ggio gave a hiss. "How can you deal with _that_?" he asked, indicating the short, slender woman in front of him. Her white-bound braids swung behind her as she stalked in front of them.

Omaeda exhaled through his nose. "She's had a hard life. You can't blame her for pushing others away every chance she gets." The two men watched her for a moment longer, and Omaeda allowed a brief smile to cross his face, followed by a chuckle and a snort. "She has her funny moments too."

"Huh." Looking forward, Ggio just simply _couldn't _believe that this woman could be anything more than "bitch mode". But he didn't know he was absolutely wrong.

They arrived at the barracks, and Soifon led the way to Ggio's designated room, flanked by said man and her lieutenant. She opened the door and walked inside, motioning for the Arrancar to follow her.

"So here's your room." Soifon indicated with her hand. "You'll be staying here as long as you stay in the Gotei 13," she said flatly. Behind her, Omaeda stood with his arms crossed and his feet planted firmly into the ground.

Ggio gazed around the plain-looking room. There was a bed in one corner underneath a closed window, and a dresser across from it. "So... I'm guessing you furnish it later on?"

"With wages and earnings." Soifon turned. The sun was setting, and she gave an involuntary shiver. Ggio tilted his head and blinked but Soifon stepped outside and shut the door, leaving him in the slowly fading light.

He sighed and sat down on the side of the bed. He absently rubbed a spot on the side of his helmet-like mask, and took it off his head. Turning it around in his hands, he examined it, the origin of his power. His Zanpaktou rested against the bedpost, silent. Apparently you'd lose all your power if you took your mask off, but you could get it back by putting it back on, as if they got their power from their masks. But he felt nothing.

Ggio stared dumbly down at his hollow mask. How the hell had Yoruichi and Kisuke been able to convince him to go to Soul Society? He had fought Soifon, and lost by a landslide. He might have increased in strength greatly, but he was no match for a _captain_. He sighed.

-::-

Meanwhile, Soifon stood alone in her office. She didn't want to go to sleep. No way. But she had to.

She was in bed, wrapped in blankets and trying not to fall asleep. The moon shone coldly outside, sending pale light filtering in. Soifon trembled and hugged her knees. Suzumebachi was leaning against the wall. Soifon glanced over, then her gaze moved around the room. The shadows cast by the moonlight seemed to move and terrorize her, shimmering and growing. She shut her eyes tightly and tried not to choke out a sob.

She didn't want to sleep. She had to. But she couldn't. She just couldn't.

People had dismissed her insecurities as abandonment issues and an inferiority complex, but they had no idea how far her problems stretched. They had _no idea_. They had no idea what she'd been through.

They had no idea what she put others through, why she pushed them away and acted cold to them. They had no idea what problems she was harbouring inside her. They had no idea what her inner demons looked like.

A fat tear found a way out from under her almost-closed eyelid, rolling down her cheek and hanging briefly on her chin before dropping down on the bedsheet. She just hugged herself tighter.

She wanted the nightmares to stop. She wanted to be able to sleep peacefully without waking up screaming and crying. She hated being this weak; this vulnerable. She hated accepting she was weak.

_Weak, weak, weak. _She was weak.

She wasn't strong enough. Not confident enough. Not brave enough to even go to sleep without fear.

She had to make an effort, so she curled up into a ball and rocked back and forth, willing sleep to come. Trying to sleep without those ghosts of her past tormenting her.

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><p><strong>How did you like the edit?<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**chapters are going to be randomly posted depending on how much i get done.**

**and potty mouths.**

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><p><span>Nightmares<span>

Soifon woke up with a start, dried tears on her face and breathing heavily. Her forehead was beaded with sweat.

_"You aren't good enough. You were never good enough."_

_"Little brat, always so weak."_

She covered her ears, but couldn't block out the hissing voices that jeered at her in her mind, blending together like the rustling of leaves.

_Trash. Miserable trash who deserved to die. I am trash._

Soifon gave a small whimper upon noticing the moon was still high in the air, and that there were still a few more hours to go until morning. She'd end up looking haggard and unkempt due to lack of sleep, but brushed it off and concealed her yawns.

Soifon buried her face in her arms. She knew that her nightmares were irrational, but she couldn't banish those lingering thoughts. She should let them go. But she couldn't.

"Please... No more."

-::-

Omaeda said nothing of her disgruntled and unkempt appearance the next morning when she showed up at the office. Actually, she always got there early because she tried to spend as little time sleeping as possible. She wished she could somehow have a dreamless sleep, which would allow her silence.

She was hunched over her desk, dark rings around her eyes. Her hair was styled into a messy bob, hastily bound braids behind her. She absently tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear, and continued to do her paperwork, marking the sheets with ink from her brush.

Warm sunlight flooded through the open window, and the wind tousled her hair. Black cats lined the shelves; paperweights, plush toys and decorations seemed to be placed everywhere. Her ink pot was black cat-themed. Her mug, half-full of tea, was black cat-themed, a souvenir from the Human World. Even the clock was a black cat, yellow eyes moving back and forth, tail swinging with every _tick_.

Soifon sighed, resting her cheek on her hand. She had to live like this, most nights turning into nightmares, and trying not to doze off the next day because she'd been up, terrified of sleeping.

She glared at the black cat memorabilia savagely before returning to paperwork.

-::-

Ggio perched on the roof of the office, hands over his face. He'd been utterly humiliated again, and even though he was several times stronger than he used to be, Captain Soifon's power dwarfed his. He guessed that if she exerted all of her Reiatsu, he'd be crushed like a bug under a boot. The thought made him shudder in revulsion. He had nothing to do right now… She'd probably freak if he stepped foot in the office. He doubted she'd take kindly to an intruding Arrancar, even if he was reformed.

His thoughts drifted back to the scene in Hueco Mundo. The last time the Arrancar had all been together somewhat peacefully in their home.

_-Hueco Mundo, a week ago-_

"Where are my fucking- ILFORTE!" Szayel screeched, his vibrant pink hair in tangles as he searched for his unruly brother. "Just because we're siblings does NOT mean you can take my things!"

Ilforte stiffled a snigger as he hid the sword behind his back. "Take it from me," he taunted. He used his greater height to put Szayel at a disadvantage as the skinny man reached for his Zanpaktou.

Szayel glowered. "I am an Espada and you are a lowly Fraccion, scum," he hissed, his face taking on a stormy expression. Crossing his arms, he snorted and turned around. "Very well. If you want your skin to turn black and fall off, just as you've been resurrected, that's your choice. There's no antidote for the poison on the hilt, y'know."

Ilforte dropped the Zanpaktou in revulsion and fear, examining his hands. Szayel just scoffed and picked it up off the floor. Ilforte stared at him. "But the poison-"

"Honestly, why am I cursed with a brainless asshat for a brother?" Szayel sauntered off. Ilforte just glared at him.

"Tch. Men." Cirucci was sitting on a bench in the large hall with Wonderweiss, clearly bored with the odd whistles and croons he uttered to the teacup in front of him. She noticed Pesche peering out from behind a pillar. "And you can fuck off too!"

The man just sighed and walked off.

She continued swinging her legs. Nnoitra was arm-wrestling with Grimmjow, and both men were yelling curses at each other. "I'll fucking beat your ass!" Nnoitra screamed, attempting to force Grimmjow's hand down.

"Shut up, you overgrown twig!" Grimmjow bellowed, trying equally hard to force down Nnoitra's arm. "You look like a fuckin' spoon!"

A vein bulged on Nnoitra's forehead, and his arm pushed Grimmjow's back briefly. "A-a-a spoon-"

"Go Nnoitra-thama!" Nel shouted, running over Grimmjow's back and stepping on his shoulder, tugging at tufts of electric blue hair.

"Get off me, brat!" he yelled, swatting at a cheering Nel. Nnoitra easily forced his arm to the table and leapt up, cackling.

"I win!"

Grimmjow, who was trying to pull Nel off of him and simultaneously avoiding her drool, looked up. "You cheated, asshole! Hey! _Don't drool on my arm!"_

Meanwhile, Ulquiorra sat at a table with Starrk, Yammy and Zommari, a sour expression on his face. He didn't look as miserable as before, just extremely pissed. This was probably due to the fact Starrk had his head on his shoulder and was drooling all over his uniform. Ulquiorra had the greatest desire to fire a Cero at the brown-haired man but that was probably not a good idea. Lilynette was creeping up on them, and Starrk wouldn't be snoring on him for long.

Charlotte Cuulhourne pranced around the room, trying to dance while Poww and Nirrge looked on with puzzled expressions. Avirama was arguing with Findorr on the correct way to fight opponents and Ggio was perched on a ledge, watching his fellow Fraccion act like idiots. Barragan was nowhere to be seen.

Aaroniero was attempting to eat a terrified Kukkapuro who was trying to tear Yammy's attention away from a heated conversation with Zommari, but clearly the seventh Espada had a few screws loose. Loly was bossing Menoly around again, and the brunette clearly looked as if she had better things to do. She glanced briefly at Grimmjow who was staggering around with Nel clutching his head and her tiny hands over his eyes. Then Loly snapped at her to pay more attention and she sighed.

Tesla was half-heartedly throwing what looked like confetti (it was actually substances stolen from Szayel) over a proud-looking Nnoitra. Sung-Sun was absently fidgeting with her long sleeves while Apacci and Mila Rose bickered beside her. All in all, it was a pleasant day. Occasionally, Sung-Sun's gaze drifted over to Tesla, who still hadn't recovered from the shock of being lifted upwards and squeezed by one of Szayel's tentacles. From what Kisuke had said, it seemed as if humans enjoyed watching things like that.

Dordoni was talking with Gantenbainne, but the tall, lean man was looking bored out of his mind. Di Roy was quarreling with Edrad, and the larger man looked as if he could snap his skinny frame in a heartbeat but just wasn't keen on it. Shawlong was rubbing his temples in a game of chess against Nakeem, as if listening to his fellow Fracciones tired him out. Ilforte had sauntered over to where Di Roy and Edrad were arguing and was attempting to assert his own opinion but the two just beat him down.

Ggio pulled up his hollow mask and scratched his head absently, noticing Lilynette dunk her hand into Starrk's mouth and leap away, cackling gleefully as the tall man sat bolt upright, started hacking and coughing and lay back down again to resume sleeping, only to almost fall off, noticing Ulquiorra was gone.

Ggio watched Ulquiorra pluck Nel off of Grimmjow's head, and Nel jabbered and flailed until she was dumped unceremoniously onto the ground. Grimmjow turned to snap at Ulquiorra for 'helping him when he didn't ask for it or need it' but didn't get a chance to; Ulquiorra promptly slapped Grimmjow, hard, as a punishment for locking him in the Caja Negacion for a few hours.

"Damn..." Grimmjow muttered, rubbing his cheek. "And I thought those Balas you fired at me was punishment enough."

"This one was mainly because you were being a bubbering idiot," Ulquiorra replied tonelessly.

Nel walked over and kicked Ulquiorra in the shins. "Hmph! I wath having fun thmacking Grimmjow-thama!" she cried. Then she promptly walked over to bother Tesla while Ulquiorra and Grimmjow glanced curiously at each other.

Ggio noticed a change in Ulquiorra. The man apparently had gained more attitude and emotion. He wondered what the trio of crazy scientists- Kurotsuchi, Urahara and Szayel- had done to him to change him. The man seemed to be less tolerant of drama and hindrances and more dynamic.

Grimmjow stalked away, muttering, while Ulquiorra stared at the floor as if trying to blast a smoking hole in it with his eyes. Ggio decided to walk over. he casually leapt off his ledge and landed in a crouch beside the pale, almost-emotionless Espada. "Batman! What's eating you?"

Ulquiorra gave him a withering look. "Don't call me 'Batman' unless you want a second hollow hole in you, trash. And I am currently being eaten at by nothing but boredom."

Ggio raised an eyebrow. "So you _have _changed."

"I do not know what you are talking about."

"Oh, come on. What's a guy like you doing, joining the Shinigami?"

Ulquiorra was silent for a while, staring eerily at Ggio with those piercing green eyes. Ggio squirmed, getting uncomfortable. Then Ulquiorra murmured, "I wished to see the woman again, and learn what a heart was. She seemed to be an expert."

Ggio shrugged. "Aren't our masks our hearts? See, the reason we have holes is because our hearts withered away and became our masks. _We don't have hearts_."

"But the woman... She was different. She spoke of a different heart." Ulquiorra made a fist. "And apparently it was in the hand... Or so I thought. Excuse me while I contemplate what it's like to shatter and blow away like dust. You'd know what it feels like, I presume?"

Ggio gave an involuntary shudder and glared at the retreating back of Ulquiorra. "Bastard."

"Oi! Some of us have to go now, so pick your asses up off the floor and don't keep us waiting!" Cirucci yelled, glaring at Szayel, who was still packing and looking for the substances Tesla had stolen from him.

Nnoitra rubbed his hands together. "Happy fun time."

_-Back to Seireitei-_

And that was it. Ggio suppressed a smile at remembering the sixth Espada getting slapped and Poww inadvertently tripping Cuulhourne over while he walked back into the heart of Las Noches with a few more Arrancar.

"What are you doing on the roof?" Ggio paused in the middle of scratching his head beneath his mask and peered down. Soifon was staring at him with a bemused expression, but her eyes were still cold.

"I have nothing to do," came the reply.

Soifon crossed her arms. "Do you know where the Senzaikyu is? Or Gin Tonbo?"

"What-"

"Go make yourself familiar with Seireitei. And if you decide to suddenly revolt..." She cracked her knuckles. "Just know it won't go unnoticed, seeing as _some _people know better than to waste time fighting and destroying buildings. Now I have paperwork to do and I don't take kindly to time-wasting idiots."

She tossed a scroll at him and he caught it, fumbled for a few moments, but caught hold of it and opened it. "Hey, why exactly is Seireitei so maze-like and circular...?" But she had already walked back inside. He sighed. Judging by their first impressions of each other, he supposed he'd get his ass kicked if he went inside to ask her a 'pointless' question, and she clearly thought he was scum, no matter what Yoruichi or Kisuke thought.

So Ggio ended up walking around Seireitei, getting a few judging, pretentious stares from Shinigami who thought they were oh-so-good, and assumed he was trash because of his slouched posture. Truth was, he was just wandering because the map was confusing and hard to make out.

"Gin Tonbo... The fuck is this 'Silver Dragonfly'...? And what the hell is the Senzaikyu? Some sort of prison rehabilitation centre?"

"So you got kicked out too?" Ggio jumped and found Di Roy walking beside him. The surprising thing was, his mask was off and the pale blue cloth was wrapped around his head, covering his right eye.

"Yup," Ggio replied sullenly, putting an emphasis on the _P _sound. "Hey where's your helmet?"

Di Roy drew in a large breath and seemed to swell up for a moment, and Ggio paled. It was the sign someone was going to give a huge outburst and he did _not _want that to happen. He held up his hands and waved them urgently. "Nonononono, buddy, STOP."

Di Roy glared at him and smacked him, releasing his breath. "Asshole. I wasn't going to yell."

Ggio rubbed his arm where Di Roy had hit him. "Yeah, well you get used to it when your fellow Fracciones do that all the time and end up blasting your eardrums out. Namely, Charlotte Cuulhourne."

Di Roy snorted. "Don't tell me he's been ranting about his so-called fashion tips."

"You guessed it."

"Eh, well about my mask." Di Roy dug around in his ear with his pinkie. "Fuckin' Aizen. Told us we needed to keep our masks on at all times or we'd lose all our power. D'you know how much trouble that piece of shit is?!"

His jagged teeth grinded together, giving Ggio the shivers. He was pretty sure Di Roy had only filed them to points so he could bite people who pissed him off. "Uh… Sure. So does that mean I can take this off without losing all my power?" He pulled off his helmet and turned it over in his hands.

Di Roy snorted. "Your power's stored in your sword, genius."

But the Zanpaktou was a Shinigami thing… His hollow part came from the mask remnant… "What happens when you stay without the mask too long?"

Di Roy scratched his chin. "Eh, I dunno. You turn ta one of them freaks like Shinji? Viz… Viza…"

"A Vizard?"

"Exactly. I think. I dunno. I put the mask back on regularly because that sandal-hat and clogs guy told me somethin' bad'll happen if I leave the mask off for too long. And I like being alive too much…" He stared off into space for a moment, then shook his head. "Well… Better get going. S'already been ages since he dumped me here and I wandered. Dunno how to get back."

"Eh. Well, seeya."

He ambled off in the way Ggio came and Ggio continued. There was an eerie lack of explosions, mainly minor bangs, but no blasts sounded and there were no buildings being smashed. Ggio sighed and wandered off, ignoring the map stowed in his uniform. Tigre Estoque chose this moment to pipe up.

_"Eyyy, boss! It's been a while since we've last properly talked! With you bein' dead'n all that."_

_"Shut up." _Ggio glared at the katana hanging by his waist.

_"Jus' statin' a fact. Yeesh. Don' need to be all touchy 'bout it."_

_"Huh."_

_"Anyways, why didn't ya fight harder against that midget? You got your ass kicked'n you were humiliated."_

_"Shut up, I was fighting okay?"_

Tigre Estoque was silent for a while. Then – _"You've never really asked for my help. You jus' said to fight as a team and win together. But ya never really asked me for help, ya know?"_

_"What're you talking about?"_

_"I'm talkin' 'bout our relationship," _Tigre Estoque said softly. _"You've never really depended on me for help, not even back at Karakura and certainly not at the practice fight. I'm jus' sayin'." _Then his voice melted away, leaving Ggio to wonder what that was all about.

"Oof!" Ggio collided with a big man and landed on his butt. "Watch where you're bloody going- huh?"

"Who're you, punk?" The large man towered over him. Half his Shihakusho was non-existent, revealing shoulder, chest and beefy arm. He had a buzz cut and two odd braids sticking out behind him. Ggio had a fleeting thought of how much they resembled Soifon's, but they just didn't suit this guy.

"An Arrancar." Ggio stood up and dusted himself off, glaring at the man with his luminous gold gaze.

The man had an arrogant and might-and-mighty look on his face. "You're the dude that Soifon-san fought and won against in Karakura!"

"Yeah? And? Look, buddy I don't need t' be reminded of how I died."

"Hah." The man leaned closer. "Tell me… Are you joining Squad Two?"

"Yeah." Ggio pushed him back and tried to make his meagre height greater. "And that's your business because?"

The man snorted. "Don't you try gettin' close to her, Arrancar. There's no way she'd choose a man like you."

"Good, because I'm not interested. A loser like you wouldn't even be in Squad Two."

The man's eyes bulged but he sighed. "That's right. I'm in Squad Eight. Tatsufusa Enjoji." His eyes narrowed. "Third Seat. Unlike you, _Arrancar_, I'm a seated officer."

"And unlike you, Enjoji, I've actually talked to her in person and I haven't enjoyed it."

"Ungrateful runt."

"What did you say about me being a runt?" Ggio clenched his fists and looked downright murderous. His ochre gaze burned into Enjoji. "Look, you can have that petty woman, but don't you dare call me runt, or anything derogatory about my height."

"Oh? Touched a sore spot?" Enjoji leered at him. "Midget. Little-man."

-::-

Meanwhile, Soifon was having a conversation with Suzumebachi. _"Whaddaya mean, you let him into the squad?!"_

_"Calm down, Suzumebachi. It was on Yoruichi-sama's request."_

_"Pshaw. Yoruichi-sama this! Yoruichi-sama that! Assert your own goddamn opinions for once!" _Suzumebachi yelled.

Soifon sat in the middle of the office, Suzumebachi standing in front of her. But her mind was in her inner world, a range of misty mountains with sparse grass. Few flowers were there, and it was cloudy. In the inner world, Soifon was perched curiously on the rock, Suzumebachi fluttering about in front of her. She was a tiny, glowing golden pixie who greatly resembled a bee, and had a skimpy outfit and long, brown pigtails.

_"I did." _Soifon blinked at her gaping Zanpaktou Spirit. _"I was the one who finally decided to induct him."_

_"But WHYYYY?" _Suzumebachi wailed, zooming around in figure eights_. "Why did you have to be one of those people who let those filthy Arrancar join?"_

Soifon scowled. Suzumebachi echoed her private thoughts. Why did she? _"Well I'll always be able to get rid of him if he turns. And who knows, he might be useful!"_

_"Come on!" _Suzumebachi scoffed. _"Me an' Tigre Estoque had a battle of our own, and his Zanpaktou seemed eerily miserable and the sword edge, well, it was wielded with power but the spirit in the Zanpaktou said otherwise. He seemed disappointed."_

_"Well it's not my problem. They can figure it out by themselves, as interference from a third party can damage the relationship between Shinigami – or Arrancar – and their Zanpaktou."_

_"Right…"_

They spent more time hanging around in Soifon's inner word, training and sparring and generaly talking about topics which seemed popular in Seireitei and among the Zanpaktou, such as Haineko and Tobiume's shared crush on Hyorinmaru, and their distaste for each other while their owners are close friends and aren't that obsessive over Hyorinmaru's master.

Soifon fought and dodged Suzumebachi's attacks while the pixie flew about her, stinger outstretched, giggling madly. It was a way to kill time and get away from work, and train while she was at it. Eventually, they were knocked back into the real world by Omaeda, who had burst into the room and almost impaled himself on the sword.

"Captain!" He ducked resignedly, as if he knew it was coming, from a dagger that was thrown at him. It impaled itself in the wall, just centimetres below the cat-eyed clock.

"Wha… What is it now, Omaeda?" Soifon growled.

"The Arrancar dude's missing!"

"Idiot! I sent him out to explore Seireitei."

Omaeda gaped. "Why'd you do that, Captain?"

"I'll know when things get ugly," Soifon remarked dryly. "And I'll take care of it."

Omaeda shook his head hurriedly. "No, there might be an issue – "

_BANG._

Both captain and lieutenant looked outside in shock and surprise, open-mouthed expressions on their faces.

A beam of magenta Reiatsu blasted into the air and Soifon slapped a hand over her forehead.

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><p><strong>eh. I'm slowing the story down, seeing as I have a plot now. Please R&amp;R thanks and leave criticism, constructive or not, seeing as I'll at least be able to see what people actually think<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Eep! I'm so lazy...**

**Guest8, I don't 'understate' their relationship. It was only four chapters long, and the idea hasn't even been explored yet. I like to think of Yoruichi and Soifon as very, very close, as close as can be but non-romantic, but I like to think Soifon had a huge crush (maybe even loved her too much) in the past, but to me Yoruichi didn't seem fitted for that sort of romantic relationship; it was more of a platonic relationship. Gee, I even resented Yoruichi for hurting Soi like that, which was weird. Your review was appreciated though, since you took the time to write that. I'm planning on some angsty scenes later, so please, don't assume such stupid things (sorry if I came out as a little asshat) because it was like a slap to the face. Only four chapters and you assume that. _Please._**

* * *

><p><span>Yousonofa-<span>

Ggio glowered at him. "Don't say that, big galumphing idiot." He turned around. "You're lucky I don't choose to fight you. And you can suck up to Captain Cold-bitch all you want, like the obedient mutt you are."

_CLASH!_

Ggio sighed as he held his sword behind his back, blocking a blow from Enjoji, who had reddened in rage. Enjoji leaped back. "Don't insult her in front of me. Don't insult _me _in front of me."

Ggio smirked. "Hah. That's the point of insults, imbecile."

Enjoji crossed his arms. "Come at me. We'll see who's the better fighter."

Ggio raised an eyebrow but said nothing. A few moments later, he disappeared and dived at the large man, only to be swept back by his rapidly spinning sword. It spun around in circles, almost generating wind. Ggio narrowed his eyes.

Enjoji swung and spun his Zanpaktou around him at a high speed, accompanied by ridiculous sound effects. It was all Ggio could do to try not to laugh at the man's stupid antics. He tried to attack him again, but he had to admit, Enjoji was good at _one _thing. But he wouldn't be for long. Ggio rushed around him at a high speed, flashing around him so fast he couldn't turn his head fast enough. Ggio then landed a kick to his back, sending him smashing into the wall.

Enjoji picked himself up gingerly, and dusted off his Shihakusho. "Not bad," he commented. Then, "Dance madly, Hozan!"

Ggio was swept back by wind and an amount of Reiatsu forced out of him. Enjoji grinned wickedly, swinging his Zanpaktou around even more madly. "This'll make you take back those insults!"

Ggio scoffed. "As if." He then exerted his own Reiatsu, feeling the magenta blast swirl around him like a tornado. It reached the sky, and Enjoji gaped, while Tigre Estoque yelled something along the lines of _YEAAAAHHH!_

Enjoji swallowed and dived at him, sword outstretched, but then a bigger Reiatsu dwarfed theirs and they froze, sweating by the sheer force of it. Ggio turned around and almost got a heart attack.

Soifon suddenly appeared before him, looking downright murderous. A golden aura was swirling around her, laced with killing intent, and her eyes burned despite the dark spots under them caused by lack of sleep.

"What the hell you do you think you're doing?" she asked, perfectly calm and cold. It would have been less scary if she'd just gotten angry and screamed at him.

"He-"

"I told you you'd be _punished _if you did something like this. I made it absolutely clear."

"But-"

"I put a little trust and faith in you, and you still broke it." She turned around on her heel and stalked away. "We will discuss this further later."

Ggio stole a glance at Enjoji, who was grinning evilly all over his stupid face. Smug bastard. Ggio gave him a clear view of his middle finger before walking off in silence to join Soifon before she actually did kick his ass.

_"Eh. You're in biiiiig trouble, boss." _Tigre Estoque piped up casually. _"I'd absolutely hate t' see what she'll do to ya."_

_"What do you think?" _Ggio snapped back in his head. _"I was a lunkhead. I forgot. I gave into my anger. What do you want?"_

Tigre Estoque seemed to stiffle a snigger. _"Eh, nothing much. If I could materialize though, I could snap pictures..."_

_"Hmph."_

_"Y'know, it felt kinda nice to just let loose all that power."_

_"Sure."_

_"Like there was no limit...' _Tigre Estoque's voice faded away, leaving Ggio puzzled.

Soifon led him through Seireitei, brushing past other Shinigami and inclining her head in greeting. Most of the Shinigami didn't have any modifications to their uniforms, but most seated officers and lieutenants did, apparently, as well as the captains; Soifon had just greeted a man with a wide straw hat and a flowery pink kimono draped over his captain's haori. He smelled faintly of alcohol. Soifon seemed to notice as well, since she wrinkled her nose slightly. It was almost cute. _Almost_.

They walked up the stairs, Ggio trying to maintain as much dignity as possible before Omaeda, who was not holding his bag of rice crackers. Soifon looked at him questioningly and he gave a helpless shrug, muttering something like, "It disappeared."

Omaeda shot Ggio a wary, hostile look and Ggio sent it back, and saw the man scowl.

Soifon opened the door to her office and froze, Omaeda too. Ggio jumped and squirmed to see the scene from behind Omaeda, but contented himself with wedging between them, his head sticking out. His jaw dropped.

There was a trail of crumbs leading out the other door, and the papers were on the floor. Ink was spilled over what looked to be Soifon's desk, and the rice cracker bag was laying in the middle of the room, a few crackers still inside, but most of them crushed and adding to the trail. On top of that, someone had smashed a small hole in the wall.

Ggio glanced nervously from Omaeda to Soifon, and jumped when the woman slowly turned her head to look at Omaeda. "Did you do this?" Again, her voice was eerily emotionless and cold.

Omaeda shook his hands. "Nononono, I didn't do it! I was in the kitchens being an idiot as usual, and slacking off..." he rambled on and on, diverting the attention from himself.

Soifon turned to look at Ggio. "Well, it can't have been you," she said thoughtfully. But she marched to the corner of the room and picked up a broom, handing it to him. "Well then... This will be your punishment... As a minor warning."

Ggio only eyed the broom with distaste. "So... I sweep up the crumbs?"

"Yes, and I'll take care of the papers, the ink and the hole in the wall." She rubbed her temples. "I doubt you'd know how to organize the papers, or how to fix the hole, or where the rags are located." She snapped her fingers. "Get to it!" And she disappeared with Shunpo, leaving a disgruntled Ggio muttering things under his breath while Omaeda watched on with amusement.

-::-

So Ggio ended up sweeping the crumbs up into a bin, seeing as they led into an almost-circle - twisting around a few metres in through the rooms. He attracted quite a few stares and sighed. Nnoitra and Grimmjow and some of the more warlike Arrancar probably didn't get such strict 'minor warnings'. He muttered under his breath as he violently attacked the floor and the crumbs with the broom, not caring if he damaged the broom further. It was already beaten and the brush end was bent out of shape with several chunks missing - Soifon had used them to beat Omaeda up after he posed as the captain and forced her to do embarrassing things while watched by his small fan club. Hah. Yoruichi was the one who asked her to humour him.

He started stabbing the ground savagely, ignoring the odd looks from the other Shinigami and ninjas in the building. There were no crumbs left; he'd swept them all, but he still scraped hard at the ground as if it was that stupid Enjoji's face.

His face was scrunched up, his eyes narrowed as he aimlessly swept the imaginary remains of the crumbs, but a voice cut into his thoughts. "I see you Arrancar are always warlike, though you tend to have difficulty putting it to good use."

Ggio froze and turned to look at the figure in the doorway. What a weird man. His face was covered in black paint with vertical white stripes, and he wore a massive, ridiculous-looking gold headdress that framed his creepy face with two protrusions curling out either sides of his chin. Even his hands were white, and the middle finger of his right hand sported an extremely long blue fingernail. Ggio just stared, mouth hanging slightly open.

"Tch. Imbeciles. I'd love to dissect one and study it... if not for the fact I already had to piece them back together. Ungrateful bastards." The man strode forward and took Ggio's head in his hand, tilting his head side to side. "But I'd like to further my experiments on you... No guarantee you'll end up alive." Ggio stared, in an awed sort of revulsion at the guy. Yellow met yellow as they stared into each other's eyes, Mayuri into his with a sort of deranged madness yet clarity.

"Hell-"

"Mayuri-sama." A soft voice cut through the tension and the man dropped him. Ggio stumbled backwards, rubbing his eyes. The hell?

"What is it, Nemu?" he snapped at a girl, slender and of average height, with black hair tied in a plait. She was carrying something her own size effortlessly, and she bowed her head.

Nemu hesitated. "Captain Soifon is coming. She will not like you to take apart her newest recruit. Not without permission of course," she added upon noticing his death glare.

"Oh really?" the man - Mayuri? - sneered. "How about I take you apart and piece you together again? I created you-"

"Captain Kurotsuchi." Soifon stood next to Ggio, stone-still. "I would like to request that you do not threaten anyone - a member of my squad or not - within my barracks."

"Hmph." Kurotsuchi straightened up, dusting off his haori. "I have business to do with you." And with a glance of disdain back at Nemu, he added, "And if I may, I would like to take the Arrancar-"

"I have a name!"

-"back to my lab so I can further my studies on them."

"You've already had ages and so many opportunities to study them," Soifon replied tonelessly. "And what was it?"

"A package awaits you," he replied smoothly. He'd lost some of the madness earlier. Perhaps Szayel was rubbing off on him - the seventh Espada's aspect of death was madness after all - and he motioned for Nemu. "Over here."

Nemu obediently walked forward and deposited the human-sized package at Soifon's feet. It was even taller than her.

"I take it this is the Gigai?"

Kurotsuchi Mayuri nodded. "Fit for an Arrancar. That's what it is."

"Very well. Thank you." Soifon picked it up and turned around as Kurotsuchi and Nemu departed. Ggio hesitated, seeing the Gigai in an awkward position being carried by Soifon. She had it under her arm, and was carrying it effortlessly.

"Um... Do I need to help?" he asked awkwardly.

Soifon shot him a withering glance. "Just because I am smaller than you doesn't mean I am weaker. And I certainly don't need your help with this sort of stuff."

"Fine then." He made a face behind her back and then promptly tripped over, swearing he saw her disappear in a millisecond and reappear, still walking, having not missed a beat. Soifon smirked - she'd quickly stepped back and stuck her foot out and tripped him, before darting back. It worked every time. Not that she used it often.

"Remember, I am aware of things that go on in these barracks," she reminded.

"Huh." Ggio noted how she refrained from saying _all_.

Omaeda went to join them. Soifon glanced up at his towering figure. "Have you tracked down the imbecile who supposedly stole your crackers and made a mess?"

He rubbed his neck. "Uh..." He shrank under her death glare. "Nope..."

She sighed and threw the Gigai at him, nailing him square in the stomach. He fumbled for a moment before catching a hold of it, arms wrapped around it lest it fell again. "That's Ggio's."

Omaeda cursed and held it away from him upon realizing. Ggio scoffed.

"My very own Gigai? For me You shouldn't have."

"I didn't want to. I'd rather not waste money on you but there were requirements, seeing as we can't get Arrancar souls into regular Gigai's. Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered."

"Tch." Ggio glared at Omaeda when he fought back a snicker.

They arrived at the newly-cleaned office, no trace of the mess from earlier. Soifon laid out the Gigai package and unwrapped it, Ggio watching intently. It took the shape of a generic human, but bald and faceless, and wearing a fundoshi.

"Your Gigai," Soifon said flatly. "Use it on missions to the Human World, if you'll ever go."

"Um... It looks a little plain..."

Soifon snorted. "They're designed to take the exact form of the user."

"Oh."

"So, it's yours. Use it for missions and other things. It will only allow an Arrancar soul in it, just like regular Gigai allow Shinigami. There are going to be developments on Soul Candy for Arrancar since we tested it and… the results were less than fortunate. The Shinigami Women's Society is taking care of it, working with the SRDI." At Ggio's confused look, she filled him in. "In an experiment in the real world, one of Szayel-Aporro's Fracciones ate one while in its Arrancar Gigai. It collapsed and was ill. Probably due to the small amount of Reiatsu it had, it died but Granz was able to revive it, although it didn't make him happy."

Ggio shuddered. "That sounds horrible."

"But it's a good way to get rid of idiots. The same thing might happen to Shinigami if they eat an Arrancar Soul Pill. There was an accident but the Shinigami was able to pull through."

"Interesting."

"Now, Omaeda… Don't you have a certain someone – or something – to hunt down? It might have been Yachiru, but she only eats candies..."

Omaeda nodded and disappeared with Shunpo. Ggio gestured at the Gigai. "What do I do with this thing?"

"It's yours. Do whatever with it, but if it's damaged, the replacement will come from your salary. They aren't cheap."

"I see. So I bring it to my room?"

She shrugged. "Whatever." She walked back to her desk and sat down on the chair, and promptly began to do paperwork, whatever it was.

Ggio was left staring at the immobile _thing _laying on the floor.

-::-

Omaeda grumbled under his breath as he walked around the barracks, scratching his head. His expensive jewelry jingled as he walked, and he was greeted by many of his fellow squad members. Everything seemed in order. The Shinigami and the ninjas walked around swiftly, their slippers and tabi making hardly any sound on the wooden floorboards. The floor felt warm. After all, he was the one that paid for heated flooring, at his captain's request so it would be suitable for whenever Yoruichi visited.

He'd heard a lot about Yoruichi. The woman was the former captain, and the one who used to hold all the titles his current captain had, but she still retained the title Flash Goddess, for being the fastest Shinigami. She could turn into a cat. And his own father used to be her lieutenant before he retired and went home to look after Mareyo.

He sighed and rubbed his neck. Gee, what was Mareyo doing now? Probably trying to avoid Marejirosabu. His little sister never liked his brother's books, and was probably missing him, wanting him to play with her.

Suddenly, he stopped. Ew. There were a few drops of what seemed to be water on the ground, and more crumbs, presumably from his rice crackers. They really _had _been getting stolen. And Captain Soifon said he was the only one who ate them. "Heh. What a slap to the face."

There was a trail of crumbs. Omaeda followed them, careful to keep his footsteps light and quiet. Whatever had stolen his precious rice crackers was probably there. He could already hear munching and a few confused-sounding wails, as well as scuffling. The culprit seemed to be just around the corner - it was a straight path but there was a turn to his left. He attracted a few confused looks from Shinigami walking in his opposite direction, but he ignored them. Peasants.

Omaeda cracked his knuckles. "Bastard's goin' down," he muttered under his breath. He started forward again, still keeping his footsteps quiet. He was almost onto it now. Almost... Omaeda heard the culprit freeze; the munching stopped, and the wails stopped. There was a single puzzled whine. Omaeda sighed and shrugged, then charged foward, yelling. "UUUUWOOOOAAAAAAH!"

Suddenly, there was a cry and he felt something collide with his midriff. He let out a yell, tumbling to the ground. There was a screech from the culprit, and a crash as they dropped the bag of rice crackers, the contents spilling onto the ground. He let out a, "NOOOOOO!" before there was another panicked, single-syllable drawl and a loud smashing sound.

"Oh... oh... Aya... S-sorry!" The person who had just crashed into him scrambled to their feet hurriedly and dusted themselves off, bowing several times in quick succession, all the while issuing apologies from his mouth. "Sorry! Sorry!"

Omaeda blearily blinked open his eyes and rubbed his stomach. "Urgh..." The culprit had gotten away. _Again_.

"I'm sorry!" Omaeda found himself staring at a frightened and apologetic Yamada Hanataro.

"Huh?"

"Sorry for knocking you over!" the short Shinigami squeaked. Omaeda shrugged and got to his feet.

"No harm done, I guess..." Omaeda groaned and rubbed his bottom. The culprit was probably long gone. However, the sight that awaited him was less than pleasant. "HOLY-

"Huh?" Hanataro peered around him. "What-"

There was a large, jagged, hole in the wall. The bag of rice crackers was torn open and the contents were spilled on the floor, with crumbs everywhere. The hole in the wall revealed the outside, and a curious Ggio was standing there, inspecting it. "What happened here-"

Omaeda, quick as a flash, rushed over to Ggio and grabbed his collar. "Yousonofa-"

"I didn't do it!" Ggio held up his hands and waved them around. "I just saw some cloaked figure sprinting as if something big and scary was chasing him. Probably you..."

"Don't get too cocky," Omaeda sneered, "That's a fancy-pants story, Arrancar... Who's to say it wasn't you?"

Omaeda turned around to fumble for his Soul Pager, while Ggio's voice sounded from in front of him. "I swear, I wasn't even in here," he cried, obviously exasperated, "I was putting the Gigai in my room when I heard a crash and rushed over." He eyed the pile on the floor. "Ew. Gross. Are those yours?"

"Huh?!" Omaeda found himself holding a fallen log with Ggio standing a metre away. "Bastard!"

Hanataro tugged on his sleeve nervously. "Eheh... Lieutenant Omaeda?"

"What is it squirt?" Omaeda rounded on him. "Anything to confess!"

"Eep!" Hanataro shivered and Ggio climbed through the hole, cursing as he bumped his head.

"Hey, leave him alone." Ggio turned to Hanataro, an equally disgruntled look on his face. "Well?"

"Uh..." Hanataro furrowed his brow. "We've had some things disappearing from our barracks... The only thing it _didn't _steal was fish paste, and Lieutenant Kotetsu's hysterical and refuses to get out of bed. Captain Unohana's very upset, seeing as she doesn't have many ingredients left for her special boar stew." Hanataro scratched his head. "But she'd never use Bonnie..."

Omaeda and Ggio glanced at each other. "Well, I guess we have to solve this."

"I'm not helping _you_," Ggio said peevishly, "Not after you accused me like that!"

Omaeda gave him a look. "What if I get Captain-"

Ggio paled. "Fine!" He crossed his arms. "But only because she's bloody terrifying."

"She's shorter than you!"

"But still!"

"When am I invited to the wedding?" Hanataro asked, amused. When the two glared at him, he blanched and bowed rapidly. "I'm sorry!"

* * *

><p><strong>Who do you think the culprit is? Reviews and criticism are appreciated.<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

Inquisitorial Squad

"Why did I agree to go on this bloody quest with you?" Ggio grumbled, hands shoved in his pockets as he stood by Omaeda. He, Omaeda and Hanataro were walking through the barracks, attracting puzzled stares from fellow Shinigami.

Omaeda glared at him. "Because if you don't, I'll tell Captain Soifon you were the one and you'd get your ass kicked while Hanataro and I searched for the actual culprit."

"Uhhh… I never agreed to do this!" Hanataro wailed, a panicked look on his face. He tugged on Omaeda's sleeve. "Can I go back to my barracks? I have work to do! Patients need tending to… I'm sure Nnoitra-san is ready to go back outside now... Captain Unohana…" He rambled on and on, his voice becoming higher and more annoying – on purpose – as he yanked Omaeda's sleeves.

Ggio joined in, making his voice as whiny and as annoying as he could. "Please, Omaeda! I have to go meet up with Tesla and the other Arrancar! Di Roy's waiting as well! Cirucci's gonna kick my ass if I don't come in time!" This wasn't true. He had nothing planned, and he was just going to sit on the roof. Anyway, he didn't want to go anywhere with Omaeda, not if the man was going to use him as a shield if they ran into trouble.

Omaeda closed his eyes for a moment, ignoring the two shorter people tugging on his sleeves and full-out _whining_and making irritating noises that made him want to sock them in the faces and scream. He just reminded himself that they were just midget peasants who weren't worth his time, and tried to walk forward, dragging them along with him.

Ggio nudged Hanataro, and the short Shinigami opened his eyes in alarm, tensing. Ggio whispered something, and Omaeda strained to hear, but they were too short for him to hear them, he thought smugly or maybe he was made half-deaf by their whining.

He glanced back in terror as he saw a wicked grin spread over the Arrancar's face, and Ggio proceeded to latch onto Omaeda's leg, squeezing it tightly and sitting on his foot. Hanataro nodded and joined him on the other foot, and they both began to babble on about how they couldn't come with him. Omaeda growled and tried to lumber forward, dragging his legs forward over the ground with the added weight of the two protesters.

"You're acting like a pair of children!" he shrieked, kicking the leg with Ggio on it and sending him sliding across the floor on his butt.

"Ow."

"And you," Omaeda turned to Hanataro, "You might even get a promotion!"

"Really?" Hanataro's eyes lit up. "I'll finally be a sixth seat!"

"You're seventh seat? What the f-?" Omaeda shook his head, "Well, that's for your higher ups to decide but then again they'll consider it, at least."

"Yes!" Hanataro punched the air. Ggio glared at him and muttered something, getting to his feet and wiping his butt.

"Fine, I'll come along. Not like I have anything better to do. What?" he added defensively, "I was lying because I didn't want to tag along with your stupid ass!"

"Why you little-" Omaeda had grabbed Ggio's collar and pulled him into a headlock, Ggio kicking and flailing his arms while spitting curses and insults. He clawed at the arm around his neck and bellowed, Omaeda holding him off the floor.

Hanataro glanced at them anxiously, seeing Ggio's face slowly turn purple, and bumped into someone once more, landing on his butt. "I'm sorry! Huh?"

He rubbed his head, looking up, and froze. Meanwhile, Omaeda still shaking Ggio around and muttering froze also. Ggio wriggled his way out of his grasp and massaged his neck. "Damn it, Omaeda!" he croaked, then froze as well, eyes on the floor and slowly trailing up. "Ehehe... Good morning, Captain Soifon..."

Hanataro trembled and nudged him, whispering, "It's afternoon!"

"G-good afternoon, Captain Soifon!" they chorused.

She had that emotionless - although slightly grumpy - expression on her face, and she cocked an eyebrow. She held a broom by her side, and Omaeda gulped when he saw it, subconsciously rubbing his head. Soifon ignored him. "May I inquire as to why you were making a racket outside my office?" Her voice was cold, almost uncaring, but it had an edge to it.

"Uh... We wanted to inform you that... um..."

"-that we will be searching for the culprit!" Ggio finished, elbowing Omaeda.

Hanataro piped up helpfully. "It's also stolen things from out division!"

Soifon sighed. "And the reason Kurotsuchi seemed like he had a stick shoved up his ass was because someone managed to break into his lab, and it definitely wasn't Yachiru."

Omaeda's eyes widened, as did Hanataro's, and they glanced at each other. Omaeda scratched his head. "Maaaan, and I thought they hit an all new low when the pipsqueak broke into the lab and spilled candy everywhere. Now they have a common criminal doing it!"

"Uh... Captain Soifon? How do you think we should handle this situation?" Hanataro shuffled his feet. "I could lead an investigation into the sewers... I'm the one who has to clean them anyway..." he added in a miserable undertone.

She regarded this for a moment. "There's no definite proof that the culprit's hiding in the sewers... Well, they could be but that's probably... Go check around the other squads to see if they have any more information."

Hanataro nodded, and Soifon walked back inside. Hanataro looked back up at Omaeda. "So, where do we start?"

-::-

_First Division_

"Some bastard has been stealing all my paperwork!" Yamamoto shook his fist at nothing in particular, bellowing. "As well as my brushes and tea!"

"It's also been stealing my English tea!" Sasakibe added miserably. "As well as my teacups and common English items." Ggio and Omaeda glanced at each other.

"What's that?" Ggio whispered, and Omaeda shrugged.

Yamamoto narrowed his eyes even further than what they looked like normally. "I thought you had a change of heart and threw them away."

Sasakibe bristled. "Eijisai-dono! I appreciate all things English and nothing will ever change that!" He puffed his chest proudly.

"Anything else?" Omaeda asked. Hanataro looked up from where he was writing things down with a pencil.

Yamamoto flapped his hand at Sasakibe. "There's nothing wrong with being patriotic," he insisted, "It shows your love for the country. However," he jabbed a finger at the English flag in the room, "This is too far!"

Sasakibe pouted and opened his mouth to reply, only to notice Yamamoto had fallen asleep right then and there, finger still pointed accusingly at his lieutenant and elbow on the desk. His head drooped, his long eyebrows brushing the desk, and he snored.

Sasakibe flushed. "I-I'm sorry you had to see the Captain-Commander like this, really," he jabbered, ushering them all out the door, "He's usually sharp and active... I'm afraid he's going senile but he's always been so lively..."

The trio left the Squad One barracks.

_Second Division_

"Hey, I don't think we should bother the Captain any further..."

"Why not?"

"She'll yell at us for wasting her time and beat us with the broom..."

_Third Division_

Izuru Kira looked up miserably from his desk. "Ah... I don't know..." he said mournfully. Ggio remembered him as the guy who'd killed Redder. He didn't really look all that fearsome.

Redder himself came strolling through the door and froze when he saw Ggio, who grimaced and waved awkwardly. "The hell is he doing here?" he demanded.

Kira glanced at him with obvious distaste. "Coming to inquire about thefts."

"Oh." Redder slapped Kira on the back, hard, causing the man to drop his brush. As Kira grabbed the brush, muttering under his breath, Redder scratched the back of his head, the mask obviously in his room. "Eh, I think it stole the sake, and other things... Yeah!" He held his finger up. "There's also been another series of thefts." An evil grin spread over his face and he beckoned them closer.

Kira blanched. "NO! Nononono!" He tried to crash into them, clawing at their faces, but Redder put a hand on his forehead and held him away at arm's length.

"What is it?" Hanataro whispered eagerly. Omaeda pushed the boy aside to listen more, while Ggio struggled to find a place.

"The culprit has been stealing," Redder began dramatically, "Lieutenant Kira's personal haiku collection! He wrote them himself, and not for anyone else to see!" The tall Arrancar cackled as Kira reddened, a red flush creeping up his neck.

"Redder!" he squawked, flinging a paperweight at the Arrancar, who ducked, "I trusted you not to tell!"

"Yeah, well when you started screaming in the morning about stolen poetry," Redder grumbled, dodging another high-speed missile, "It'd be hard for everyone to not hear."

The trio stood awkwardly at the door to the office, and Kira rounded on them, his face still flushed. "Out!" he yelled, holding up a paperweight threateningly. Ggio backed away slowly, his hands held before him for either surrender of protection. Hanataro was bowing and apologizing and Omaeda had a bemused expression on his face.

Redder shrugged. "Hope you find out who's been causing these thefts!"

_Fourth Division_

Hanataro kept fidgeting nervously as he neared the barracks. "Uh... Maybe we should do this one later..."

"Why?" Ggio asked, pushing aside the door, "Anything wrong?"

"Well..." Hanataro shuffled his feet. "Captain Unohana gets scary when she's mad... We might anger her," he said in a low tone.

"Don't be silly," Omaeda scoffed, "This is merely an investigative visit."

They all covered their ears when they heard hysterical screaming starting up. It went on and on, and didn't stop until the person took a breath and screeched, "FIIIIISH PAAAAAAAAASTE!"

Hanataro winced. "And then there's that."

"Whoa, what was that?" Ggio rubbed his ears, his face twisted into a grimace.

"Lieutenant Kotetsu," Hanataro said quickly before the screaming started again. He led them deeper inside the barracks, breaking into a run when Isane took a breath and started screaming again, this time accompanied with banging sounds.

Ggio glanced at Omaeda. "What the hell was that all about?"

Omaeda just shrugged.

They burst into the kitchen, where Isane was repeatedly smashing a beaten-up container of white paste with a clipboard and screaming at the top of her lungs. Her face was pale. "Lieutenant Kotetsu! Hanataro shouted.

Isane looked up. "Fish… Paste…" she moaned, then gave the fish paste container a good whack. Hanataro hastily prised the clipboard out of her hands and placed it on the counter, then picked up the container of fish paste and threw it into the bin, ignoring the fact that it was practically falling apart. He dusted his hands off and glanced at a dumbstruck Omaeda and Ggio.

"So, have you encountered any thefts?" Hanataro asked the trembling lieutenant, seeming to have forgotten that he'd already asked.

Isane replied in a tremulous voice, "It's been stealing food, medical supplies, sake, a-and leaving f-f-fi-"

"Fish paste?" Omaeda broke in unhelpfully.

"Fish paste everywhere!" Isane wailed.

Unohana came rushing in. "What seems to be the matter?"

Hanataro gulped. "Uh..."

"We're doing an investigation on the various thefts occurring in Seireitei," Ggio informed her.

"Oh? I'm guessing Isane has already told you of our troubles."

"Yes…"

"Straighten up, Isane," Unohana said pleasantly, a smile on her face. Ggio was slightly creeped out by her too-perfect demeanor. She was probably hiding something.

Isane gulped and did as she was told, towering above all of them except for Omaeda. Her cheeks turned pink, and she muttered, "I'm too tall…"

Unohana smiled at the trio kindly. "I think it's best if you leave now."

"But-"

"Please leave now."

They all glanced at each other and disappeared in a flash, using Shunpo and dragging a protesting Hanataro with them.

_Fifth Division_

"No, we haven't encountered any thefts so far…" Hinamori Momo stood with her brush to her chin and a thoughtful, faraway look in her eyes. "Uh…"

The three waited (im)patiently for her to finish.

"That's right!" Momo held up her brush with a triumphant look on her face, missing the fact she now sported a small painted black beard. Ggio hid a snort behind his fist and Omaeda jabbed him in the ribs.

"So?"

"My homemade cookies have been stolen!" She pouted and crossed her arms, forgetting that she held the paintbrush. Hanataro winced as the ink flicked onto her Shihakusho. "As well as a lot of books!"

"Books?"

"Yes! I go reading with Lieutenant Ise sometimes when we're free! Although sometimes Rangiku-san tries to get us to go drinking with her…" She sighed. "Talking about Rangiku, she's stricken, almost as worried as Captain Kyoraku! Their sake is gone."

"So our culprit is an alcoholic, eh?" Omaeda muttered, scratching his head.

"Probably!" Momo shrugged. "I need to take these cookies to Kira now. He's very sad about his papers missing." She just realized what she had said, and her face took on a pink tinge. "What?" she asked defensively, "They're just cookies."

"No one asked you anything." Ggio had a puzzled expression on his face.

She reddened further. "Well I'm busy now, so bye!" She pushed them out and slammed the door.

Omaeda sighed. "She didn't even notice the spot on her chin."

_Sixth Division_

"Get out of my office, hollow."

_Seventh Division_

"Sorry about the captain." Renji stood with Iba and Captain Komamura. Ggio avoided looking into Komamura's eyes; he didn't like canines.

"He seems a bit prejudiced about hollows," Ggio muttered.

"Yes," Renji sighed. "Well, what was it you wanted to ask?"

"Have there been any thefts lately?" Hanataro glanced up at him eagerly, pencil hovering above hs notepad. He seemed to be enjoying this.

"Eh…" Iba scratched his head. "Well, the booze is gone."

"Of course you'd think that," Renji grumbled. "Most or our Wakame Taishi merchandise is gone. The captain seems in a sour mood right now, but honestly, they were never going to sell anyway. Rukia's also upset, and also at me for apparently not caring."

"Aw, give her a bunch of flowers and say you're sorry, man." Iba punched Renji lightly on the shoulder, and the red-haired man glared at him.

"Shuddup, Iba."

"The special brushes from the Human World are gone," Komamura informed them sadly. "As well as the one Hisagi gave me."

"Oh? Anything else?" Hanataro was furiously scribbling down onto his notepad.

"Well… Food…"

"Thanks!" They thanked them and left, Ggio in a hurry to go because really. His feline instincts did not like the dog/wolf captain, however nice he was.

Komamura seemed to have picked up on this, as they could plainly hear him sobbing to Iba, "Why does no one like me? Am I too ugly? First Grimmjow-san and now that other nice Arrancar."

"There, there, captain."

_Eighth Division_

"I'm afraid you'll have to excuse my captain, he isn't feeling well right now." Ise Nanao led them briskly into her captain's office, the three struggling to catch up with her fast pace. She had an exasperated expression on her face.

She threw open the doors, hollering, "Captain Kyoraku! You have visitors!"

"Nanao-chaaan…" Kyoraku groaned, rubbing his head. He was leaning on Captain Ukitake's shoulder, and Ukitake was patting his head comfortingly.

"It's alright, Shunsui. Your sake will eventually come back. Eventually."

Nanao cleared her throat. "As you can see, our sake has been stolen. The Captain, " she gave his shoulder a firm smack, "has been dealing with this by moaning and complaining."

"So cruel, Nanao-chaaan…"

"Shut up!"

"So… Has anything else been stolen?" Omaeda asked.

Kyoraku blinked blearily. "Ugh… Food? Paperwork?" He patted his hair. "Oh, and my hat…"

"You don't actually seem all that worried actually…" Nanao looked confused, but then her expression changed into a resigned one as Kyoraku perked up.

"My hat!" He began shaking Ukitake. "Where is it, Juushiro? Where?"

Ukitke groaned. "Easy, easy…" He steadied himself and then promptly fell into a coughing fit, Nanao rushing to his side. Kiyone and Sentaro then burst into the room."Captain Ukitake!"

"I'm fine Kiyone, Sentaro," he groaned, coughing and hacking again.

"Please excuse us." Kiyone and Sentaro picked up the unconscious, white-haired captain and disappeared with Shunpo. Nanao glanced, flustered, at her captain; Kyoraku began to sob into the couch.

_Ninth Division_

"Have you encountered any thefts?" Hanataro had taken to asking the questions, and he really seemed to be enjoying his little adventure.

Hisagi Shuuhei tapped the end of his paintbrush to his chin. Unlike Momo, his brush didn't have any paint on it, and he wasn't using the bristled end. "Eh, some of our printing ink and paper has been stolen. As well as the sake and some of the food."

Ggio rubbed his temples. "Everyone's losing sake. How much does this person like being drunk?"

Shuuhei shrugged. "I dunno. The Seireitei Communication's on hiatus as of now. We can't print out that many articles anymore," he said sadly. "But we still have a few copies. 380 kan each. Want one?"

Hanataro and Ggio refused, although Omaeda happily bought one.

"Dude, why'd you buy one? It's last week's edition!"

"So I can beat you over the head!"

"Fuck you."

_Tenth Division_

"Uhh…" Matsumoto Rangiku lay on the couch, her hand over her head. "No sake… No Human World magazines… But how…"

"Matsumoto!" Hitsugaya screamed, losing it with Rangiku's annoying moans and complaints. "Do your paperwork instead of lying around and lamenting the loss of your alcohol!"

"But the sake's been stolen!" Rangiku rolled over. "I don't want to do this work without sake."

"Excuse me? Have there been any thefts?"

"Sake," moaned Rangiku, "As well as my soba manju…" She sighed.

"Uh-huh. Anything else?"

"Personally, I think the disappearance of the alcohol is good," Hitsugaya interrupted, "Seeing as I now no longer require this couch to take care of Matsumoto's hangovers."

"But that's the sign of a wild night!" she protested. She then sat up, rubbing her head. "Well, the captain's got his own losses."

"What are they?" Hitsugaya asked irritably. "I don't care for your manju or sake, and my paperwork is under protection. Hyorinmaru is always with me as well."

Rangiku sat bolt upright, eyes glinting mischievously. "His hair gel's disappeared."

"You think this is natural?" Hitsugaya gestured to his spiky white hair. "It may be white but it's not _that _stiff."

"Yes, unlike some things. But he's also lost his candy, the ones Captain Ukitake's given him."

"MATSUMOTO!" Hitsugaya screeched.

"Whaaat, captain?" Rangiku whined.

Omaeda shoved Hanataro and Ggio out the door. "I think it's time to leave." Hanataro nodded absently, still writing things down and Ggio glancing curiously at the closed door.

_"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, IT WAS OBVIOUS?"_

_Eleventh Division_

"Ugh… Ken-chan! Buy me more candy!" Yachiru demanded.

"Didn't we have any?"

"No! It disappeared!" the little girl squeaked. Then she saw Ggio. "KITTY!" she yelled, bounding down.

Ggio shrank back, and Omaeda snickered, elbowing him back out.

"Eyy! Arrancar! Care to fight later?"

"GGIO? Get out here, fuckin' bastard!" Nnoitra bellowed, charging out. However, there was a pile of papers on the ground and he tripped over them, landing on his face. Grimmjow, who was also running out to meet them, tripped over Nnoitra and ended up falling onto him. They both groaned.

Ggio narrowed his eyes. "So if I'm kitty, what's he?"

Yachiru stomped over to Grimmjow and smacked him on the head. "He's Blueberry! Like Ichi!"

"Shut up!" Grimmjow hollered. "Don't lump me in with Kuro-assface, just because that asshole is a strawberry!"

"So… Any thefts?" Hanataro was trembling now. Kenpachi thought for a moment, then opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by Yachiru.

"Ken-chan's hair gel has gone missing!" she shouted worriedly. "And a few of his spare bells! And someone stole all my candy!"

Yumichika walked out next. "Visitors!" he sang, then froze when he saw the scene. "No! I spent so much time organizing those papers!" He proceeded to kick Nnoitra in the shins, then walked over and leaned on the wall. "They stole my shampoo and conditioner," he complained, "As well as my spare feathers, and Ikkaku's red face-paint."

"Don't you mean eyeliner?"

"He won't let me refer to it that way because it's too girly and not manly enough," Yumichika huffed. "Totally unbeautiful, if that's even a word."

"It is," Ggio amended.

"Is that all?" Hanataro stammered, the hand holding his notepad trembling slightly.

"Probably." Yumichika cracked his knuckles and glared at the two Arrancar sprawled out on top of his scattered paperwork.

Yachiru pushed them out of the office, saying something about Yun-Yun getting angry.

_Twelfth Division_

"Mayuri-sama is busy now. Please leave."

"But-"

"Please leave."

"Why-"

"Please leave." Nemu took out her arm and began spinning it. The three gulped – the arm looked more like a giant, savage drill.

"Hold on! Nemu! Put your arm down!"

"Yes, Mayuri-sama." Nemu stopped her spinning arm and clasped her hands together, bowing as she made way for Captain Kurotsuchi. Ggio shuddered again, and he could have sworn Omaeda and Hanataro did the same. The shorter Shinigami's hands were twisted into his medical kit.

"Specimens have been stolen! Lab equipment has been stolen!" Kurotsuchi flung his hands into the air, and threw a bunch of paperwork off the desk. "Akon's horn-polisher is gone! There are cracker crumbs everywhere!"

Hanataro was furiously scribbling this down.

Kurotsuchi jabbed a finger at a short Shinigami about Hanataro's height and age with brown hair tied in a topknot. Hanataro paused to wave at him and he waved back. "Even Rin's candy has been stolen," Kurotsuchi hissed.

"Do you have footage of the culprit," Ggio asked.

Kurotsuchi cackled. "They tried to hack into my supercomputer!" He waved his hand. "And then it took a picture of whoever was responsible, and we also have messed up footage of the little shits, since they meddled with the cameras," he growled.

"Can we see them?" Omaeda inquired eagerly.

"Hmph. Later. When I get this place fixed up."

"But-"

"Leave!" Kurotsuchi shrieked, "Nemu! You can use your arm again!"

"Yes, Mayuri-sama. Please leave."

_Thirteenth Division_

Ggio, Hanataro and Omaeda had been chased out of the barracks, and had decided to pay a visit to Ukitake to see if he was alright, and to ask him. Even if he was still passed out, at least Kiyone and Sentaro would be there to answer questions.

"Have you experienced any thefts?" Hanataro stood with his hair twisted into a tornado-like shape. He'd tripped over and Nemu attacked his hair, while being whatched by a gleeful Captain Kurotsuchi.

"Luckily they didn't take the captain's medicine…" Kiyone stroked her chin. "But they stole my extra gloves."

"And the candy supplies for Captain Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Yachiru!" Sentaro added.

"Oh! Anything else?"

"Nothing much."

…

"Okay boys, we now have a lead!" Omaeda shouted triumphantly, on their way back to the Squad Two barracks.

Ggio punched him on the shoulder. "Don't go all 'professional detective' mode on us," he grumbled.

"Shut up."

"So, tomorrow we visit Captain Kurotsuchi?" Hanataro chirped.

"Hell yeah," Omaeda growled. "Then we'll crack this case."

"You only want to solve it so they'll stop stealing your rice crackers," Ggio muttered.

* * *

><p><strong>How did you like this chapter? Leave a review to let me know!<strong>

**Yup, the title was a Harry Potter reference**


	7. Chapter 7

Fragile Brushes

Ggio was once again dragged out by Hanataro and Omaeda hissing and screeching. He didn't want to join them, not when Kurotsuchi was determined to kidnap him and dissect him, and he was sure Omaeda would hand him over eagerly. Heck, Omaeda was probably dragging him along just to piss him off. It wouldn't be beyond him, and they had a mutual understanding that the other was a complete ass.

"So, today, we visit Captain Kurotsuchi!" Hanataro cried happily, practically skipping there clutching his notebook. "This has all been so fun, right guys?" He turned to face them, noticing Omaeda and Ggio shooting death glares at each other.

"Yes. Fun," Ggio grumbled, crossing his arms and tearing his furious gaze from Omaeda's stupid face. "Playing detective is _so fun_."

Omaeda glared at him.

Hanataro knocked on the doors of the SRDI. "I hope they're open right now," he said anxiously, looking up and down the huge doors. "I don't want to end up being squished by a tentacle or something."

Ggio laughed nervously. "Please tell me you're joking."

Omaeda and Hanataro glanced at each other and then back at Ggio. "Nope," Omaeda replied solemnly. "Kurotsuchi has loads of weird ways to keep out intruders, so that's actually possible."

"Weirder things have happened, Vega-san," Hanataro mumbled, shuffling his feet nervously, "And with Szayel-san there, things might get even weirder. You would know."

"Yeah, since Szayel's Resurreccion actually has tentacles," Ggio growled.

"We saw on the screen," a bored voice sounded next to his ear.

"Whoa!" Ggio jumped back and almost crashed into Omaeda. "How the hell…?"

"Morning, Captain," Omaeda said tiredly, shoving Ggio off him, "We have evidence here."

Soifon nodded, glancing at Ggio briefly. "Yes, I've heard."

Ggio dusted himself off, registering her expression. She'd just glanced at him like: _Cross the line and I'll fucking Bankai you_. He shuddered.

"We're hoping Kurotsuchi isn't too busy today," Hanataro chimed happily. "This has all been great!"

"I expect it has been," Soifon said dryly.

"He's probably dissecting some poor hollow," Ggio muttered, only to jump again as a voice blared out of the doors.

"I wish!" Kurotsuchi's voice yelled. The man himself flung open the great doors with a huff. He looked disheveled, as if he'd gone a week without sleep. His face was actually _smudged _and his golden stud for an ear was at an angle. There were also bags under his eyes, and his eyes were bloodshot. He glared at them irritably. "Yes, I've got your damn evidence. Come inside." He stomped off, tripping over something and cursing.

"Looks like someone forgot to drink their coffee," Ggio remarked.

Soifon looked at him curiously. "I thought you folks only drank tea."

"Yeah, well, Ichimaru and Tousen intervened when they thought Aizen's tea obsession was going too far. Well, Ichimaru did anyway. Tousen was too caught up with Wonderweiss and trying to stop Ichimaru flooding the room with coffee."

"You didn't say 'Aizen-sama'."

"Didn't I?" Ggio eyes clouded over for a moment, then he shook his head as if to clear it. "Nah. I don't serve Aizen. He can rot in his cell for all I care. My real master was Barragan-sama," he informed them, but it still sounded uncertain. Soifon cocked an eyebrow and she and Omaeda shared a bemused glance before walking over to where Kurotsuchi was hammering at his keyboard.

"I have your damn video," he grumbled, banging a fist down on the last key. A large metal plate promptly rose up from behind it and unfolded, becoming a huge screen. Kurotsuchi scratched his chin before starting to smash the keys again.

The four watched dumbfounded as the screen whirred to life, showing a scene in the lab. Three cloaked figures could be seen striding around the lab. One figure reached into a shelf and dragged out a bag of candy.

"That couldn't have been Nel," Ggio muttered.

Another figure wandered over to the desks and vaults and began smashing them. Meanwhile, the last figure wandered over to the supercomputer and attempted to touch it, emitting the same croons and wails as the one who had smashed the hole in the wall, and then let out a screech as the computer gave off a siren sound. The first figure desperately gathered all of them and disappeared, and the camera died. All in all, the screen was blurry, grainy and fuzzed, and not good quality.

"So," Kurotsuchi clapped his hands together, "Anyone care to explain?"

But no one was listening. Soifon was talking urgently (and a little angrily) with Omaeda in a hushed tone, Hanataro was scribbling in his notepad and Ggio was ambling around the area, ogling the specimens. "What the hell is this?"

"Hey, don't touch!"

"Oof!" Ggio was dragged away by Kurotsuchi, an eerie grin on the creepy man's face. Ggio squirmed and wriggled out of his grasp.

"Feline reiatsu, eh? Now I want to dissect you even more…" Kurotsuchi turned to Soifon. "Oi! Take more care of your kitten!"

"Hey! I'm not a kitten!" Ggio spat, but Soifon cracked a smile, and Omaeda was stifling sniggers behind his hand. Ggio growled and stomped away.

"So, you got that evidence? Good now don't bother me again!" Kurotsuchi pushed them out and slammed the door, leaving them dumbstruck. A few moments later, a door opened and Nemu crept out, holding a bag.

"Here's some catnip," she murmured, handing the bag to an enraged Ggio.

-::-

"Hah! He gave you catnip!" Omaeda was still laughing, clutching his stomach and shaking. Ggio had balled fists and was glaring daggers at him. They stood in Soifon's office, Hanataro back in the Squad Four barracks. The office rang with his laughter, and even Soifon suppressed a smile. None of them knew they were being stalked and eavesdropped on by a short, slim figure with a single, cerise eye.

"Fuck you," Ggio growled, "I'm not an actual cat." But he couldn't deny that the catnip smelled awesome and made him feel an odd sensation of tingling, as well as filling him with vague happiness. He had the strangest urge no bury his nose in it - "No!" he yelled.

"Huh?" Soifon and Omaeda looked up, Soifon's brush still raised over the paper. Luckily, no ink dropped down.

Ggio dumped the small bag on her desk. "You take it. I don't want it."

"Yes, this will be perfect for Yoruichi-sama," Soifon said absently, opening the bag and peering inside.

Ggio snorted. Yoruichi would probably yell something along the lines of, "Fuck yeah!" and start burying her whole face in it while rolling around and mewling. He didn't exactly know why. A ringing sound filled the room, and it sounded like a recording of a little girl singing. Ggio glanced at Omaeda curiously, and the man flushed.

"My little sister loves to sing," he said awkwardly. He took it out and checked it, his expression becoming a panicked one. "Oh, shit. I'm late for the lieutenant meeting!"

"There was a lieutenant meeting?!"

"Yes!" He charged off, muttering things under his breath and eventually disappearing with Shunpo a few metres later, leaving them alone in the office. Soifon glared at the spot Omaeda had been standing on, as if she was trying to set it on fire with her eyes, then snorted.

Soifon went back to doing her paperwork, handing Ggio a form to fill out himself. "You have to recount what you've done since joining. All the other Arrancar are doing it, and it's how we assess you. Just use Omaeda's desk, he never does work anyway."

Ggio glanced at the desk and reluctantly walked over, placing himself in the slightly large seat. Soifon handed him the paper and a small brush. He began to fill out the form, snickering when he imagined Nnoitra and Grimmjow complaining as to why they had to fill out a simple piece of paperwork.

Soifon was peacefully filling out her own paperwork when she noticed her brush dropping bristles. She continued, and didn't think much of it until they began to fall all over the paper. She glared down at the brush, and then recoiled as the metal band at the end popped off and the bristles fell out. Gah. Her brush was dead. And this paperwork was due very soon, and she still had a while to go. If only she'd started this one earlier, instead of leaving it at the bottom of the pile.

She scrounged around for another brush but there weren't any more good ones for that size. The brush tin was up on the highest shelf, seeing as they never needed to get any new ones – their usual ones lasted a long time.

Soifon muttered a curse under her breath and tried standing on her tiptoes to reach, but couldn't. She tried jumping, but she could barely even touch the shelf. Ggio watched on in amusement, stifling his snickers behind a hand. Soifon scowled and kept trying, but it was no use, and Ggio could barely keep in his laughs. "Quiet!" she snapped. Ggio jumped and dropped his brush in the process, the only other brush of the same size. It clattered to the floor and broke as well, sending bristles everywhere. The two glanced at each other with distaste and annoyance, like how the _fuck _could a brush break that easily?

Shinigami powers were restricted within the offices, for fear of them destroying everything in the process - although it didn't prevent them from using their Zanpaktou - and that meant she couldn't fly inside the offices, or use extra strength because enraged captains were prone to smashing things. Yamamoto had asked Kido experts to brand the offices with spells preventing them from using those powers. She also had fantastic reflexes, and could jump quite high, but the top shelf was simply too high for her to reach. The only way she had managed to put things on the top shelf was because she made Omaeda put them there for her. But Omaeda wasn't here. Only Ggio.

She considered moving the chair. Unfortunately, it was connected to the floor, seeing as there was a secret compartment there for Yoruichi, and it connected to the tunnels Yachiru had made to the Kuchiki Manor. She'd get in big trouble if it was discovered, and so would Yoruichi, although Yoruichi was exiled so there wasn't much they could do to prosecute her.

She sighed, placing a palm to her forehead. Ggio was basically convulsing in the chair, hugging himself with his shoulders shaking. Oh, if only they could see the fearsome Squad Two captain now. Struggling to reach the top shelf despite her cool and threatening demeanour. Hah! However, she shot him a death glare, and continued until his chuckles died away.

"Let's see _you _try and reach the top shelf," she snapped angrily, a dull red flush creeping up her face at the thought of being simply too short to reach the top shelf, and looking ridiculous while trying to reach the brush tin. Next to it sat a small container of glue she hadn't used in a while, and on the other side sat a small clay model of a black cat.

Ggio now wore a look of alarm. He glanced at the top shelf, then back to the scowling, slightly pink face of Soifon in front of him. He shrugged. "Well, alright." He walked over and tried to leap up and grab the tin, but he could only place a finger on the top shelf. Soifon herself was now wearing a smug look, and chortling occasionally. "Shut up!" he barked.

"Well, seeing as neither of us can reach the top shelf," Soifon crossed her arms and looked at Ggio intently, "what do you suggest we do, huh?"

Ggio shrugged. "I'm still filling out this form, so I still need to use a brush… Are you sure you don't have any more brushes of the same size?"

Soifon deadpanned and gestured to the paper with bristles everywhere, and the only brushes left were either too big or too small. "Well?" she demanded.

Ggio blew some air out of his nostrils and scratched his neck. "Ah, I don't know. Neither of us is tall enough, and Omaeda's off at his lieutenant meeting. I suppose you could sit on my shoulders and reach it?" She scowled at him and he added defensively, "What? Any better ideas?"

Soifon narrowed her eyes. "None that I can think of. But, if you even think about doing anything..." She left the threat hanging in the air.

"Yeah, yeah, you'll shove Suzumebachi up my ass."

Soifon narrowed her eyes to slits, then clambered up Ggio's back when he crouched down. She maneuvered herself in a way so she was perched on his shoulders, thighs on either side of his neck and his hands holding her in place. They had a rough texture to them. Her hakama flapped in his face. Soifon glared down at him. "Move your hands higher, and be sure to expect your fingers broken."

"Sure, your Majesty," Ggio muttered. She didn't weigh much, but his neck felt uncomfortable; having something slung around them that could possibly choke him wasn't a pleasant experience. This mission was full of danger.

"I nearly have it!" Soifon clawed at the shelf, and then being dragged away when Ggio stumbled. "No, wait! Go back!"

"_Don't lean that way!"_

Soifon made a grab for the brush tin, crying out as they lost balance. The tin fell when she gave the shelf a good smack - accidentally of course - and it clattered onto the floor, brushes rolling everywhere. The small container of glue also fell, popping open and spilling the liquid everywhere, but they didn't notice. Ggio gave a yell as he toppled over, and the whole plan failed. They landed with a thump on the wooden floor, Ggio groaning. His butt hurt, and there was something on him.

Soifon blinked blearily, remembering twisting herself around to land on her knees if she couldn't land on her feet. It had almost worked. Now she was sprawled out on top of _something _and it was uttering groans and mumbling under its breath. She rubbed her eyes, putting a hand on the floor to steady herself. Blinking again, she found herself on top of a winded Ggio. Glazed golden eyes locked onto her own silver-brown ones.

"Oh god..." Soifon tried to scramble off, instead just tangling their legs further, and accidentally punching Ggio in the stomach, leaving him wheezing. "Ugh!" She struggled to lift herself, Ggio recovering and also trying to get off, but it just ended up with them falling again in their haste.

"Captain Soifon!" Rangiku sang out, flinging open the door - much to Soifon's horror, "I have a few more documents for-" she froze, her voice dying as she realized what position they were in. She took in the scene - Soifon and Ggio wriggling, writhing trying to untangle themselves from each other while spitting and hissing insults. It was all Rangiku could do to not drop the papers she had in her hands and laugh. "Oh..." She walked over to the desk, carefully avoiding the fallen brushes, "I'll just leave these here then. I must have walked in on a bad time... Bye!" She hurried out the door, leaving them stricken.

"Rangiku!" Soifon shrieked, "Get me off him!" But it was no use, as Rangiku had already disappeared.

"Sheesh, woman! I want to get out just as much as you do but jeez, stop elbowing me in the face!"

"Rangiku's probably going to spread this all over Seireitei," Soifon fretted, trying to tear herself away. She couldn't seem to pull her ankle away from his knee somehow. A sudden revelation occurred to her. "W-what if... No! If Yoruichi-sama is informed of this..." Soifon squeezed her eyes shut, dragging her fingers down her quickly-reddening face. It would be a disaster if Yoruichi got hold of this news. She'd never hear the end of it. She didn't know the eavesdropped was still outside, giggling silently to herself.

"Captain! What happened- oh." Omaeda had burst through the door, only to find a furious Soifon and Ggio glaring up at him. He laughed sheepishly, rubbing his neck. "I guess I walked in on a bad time..." he backed out slowly. "Goodbye!"

"Omaeda!" Soifon screeched, planting a hand on Ggio's chest and slamming him down on the floor, and tried to pull herself up, "Help me get off!"

Omaeda peered through the gaps between his fingers - he had shielded his eyes - and walked over. Soifon raised her arms for Omaeda to grab them, and he yanked her off Ggio, who was trying to tear himself away, and they came apart with a few small ripping sounds.

It turned out that they had rubbed the glue all over their hakama, Soifon's yellow sash being glued to Ggio's Arrancar uniform and the outside of her right ankle being glued to Ggio's knee. There were now holes in the clothing, they realised with dismay, and the brushes lay scattered on the floor. Soifon hurriedly picked them up, thankful that none were broken, and placed them along with the tin on the desk. She eyed the glue on the floor with distaste, then glared at the both of them. "If you tell anyone about this..."

Ggio snorted. "It was equally embarrassing for me as well, you know."

Soifon turned her glare to Omaeda. "So, you don't tell anyone or I'll butcher you," she hissed. She was still flushed pink, in fear of her reputation crumbling.

He gulped. "Yes, ma'am!"

-::-

Luckily, Rangiku hadn't spread the rumour, instead keeping it to herself and chuckling to herself occasionally, prompting strange glances from fellow Shinigami and Hitsugaya's famous narrow-eyed, questioning-yet-angry look as he looked up from his much-loved paperwork to stare accusingly at a convulsing Rangiku on the couch.

Life went on as usual, and Omaeda was trying to figure out who the people were that had stolen things from the barracks, but mostly because he wanted his rice crackers back. It just felt weird when he walked into the room and there was no crunching. Even Soifon herself thought this was weird, although she preferred not having crumbs over her floor and occasionally in her hair, when Omaeda happened to be standing behind her and eating.

Soifon seemed to be more on edge these days. Every time she saw him, she scowled and looked away, pinkening slightly because of that particular event that could spark rumours and ruin her life, not to mention his. Ggio was once again kicked out into Seireitei, since Soifon at least trusted him not to blow something up this time, and last time he hadn't gotten around to any exploring. He figured she just wanted to get rid of him for a while.

"Ggio!" Tesla was running towards him. "Have you heard?"

"Heard what...?" Ggio rubbed his head. "I got dragged on an investigation or something with Omaeda and Hanataro and got ridiculed, and I almost got captured and dissected. So what's up?"

Tesla had been staring at him with a mixture of awe and horror, with his mouth hanging slightly open, but he shook his head and continued. "There's gonna be an Arrancar meeting next week. It's going to be a monthly occurrence after this."

"Oh goody," Ggio grumbled. "Who's planning it?"

Tesla shrugged. "Dunno yet. Maybe Cirucci or Luppi."

Ggio blinked. "I would have thought that one of the Espada's would've organized the thing; they've got the most authority and power, and they were ranked."

"Rankings don't matter anymore, and," Tesla counted off his fingers, brow furrowed, "the Espada that _did _join Soul Society were Ulquiorra, Nnoitra-sama, Grimmjow and Szayel. None of them were interested in running the thing - Ulquiorra believed it to be beneath him, Nnoitra-sama and Grimmjow thought it was boring and wanted to fight, and Szayel was preoccupied with his experiments and trying to piss off Kurotsuchi. What?" he added as he heard Ggio snigger.

"You still haven't stopped calling him Nnoitra-_sama _yet."

"So?" he said defensively, "Have you stopped adding a sama to Barragan's name?"

Ggio shrugged. "Sometimes I say it out of habit, but I don't consider that guy my boss anymore," he said nonchalantly.

Tesla nodded approvingly. "_There_."

* * *

><p><strong>Ack, I don't even know how to end a chapter...<strong>

**Miscommunications indeed Guest8 xD I'm glad you share my views on Soifon's character actually, also glad we cleared this up, and I'm kinda worried I made her OOC.. Eh, I'll fix it when the problem gets out of hands. What's really horrible to me is the fact Soifon basically _worshipped _Yoruichi and the lady just abandoned her for a hundred years without saying goodbye... it could have destroyed her and led to issues, but Soifon is a strong lady. And they also cleared it up, and Soifon forgave her friend. Again, I apologize if I came off as a butt, but it's been more-or-less nice talking to you**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm putting Soifon through so much bullshit… Also contains *slight* spoilers for anyone who hasn't watched the Zanpaktou Rebellion Arc (filler arc).**

My Demons

Soifon shivered and twitched in her sleep. Damnit, those nightmares again. She let out a few whimpers, and she was sweating, although it wasn't all that warm. The moon shone in through the open window, casting the room in a cold, white light. An owl hooted softly, and soared silently through the sky. But Soifon was hardly even aware of this, due to being so deep in her nightmares.

A slightly transparent Yoruichi drifted in circles around her in her dream world, a barren white land. Soifon took on a defensive stance; fists balled and held out in front of her to defend her face and to deflect attacks, but she was terrified.

Yoruichi alighted on the ground and strode purposely before her. "You were so weak…" she hissed, her voices sounding like many at once, like the rustling of leaves. "And you still are… I was right to leave you. You will never amount to anything!" Yoruichi spat, swiping at her. Soifon yelped and shied away, unable to defend herself despite over 100 years of tough training. She was trembling, and tears threatened to spill out of her eyes.

"This is just a dream…. Only a dream," she told herself furiously, circling around as Yoruichi did, "And the real Yoruichi is probably sitting with Kisuke now, watching something… This is only a dream!"

"Only a dream?" Yoruichi sneered, drifting up and looking down on her. Soifon glared up at the dreamscape Yoruichi. "How do you know I'm not talking with him about how much better it was to have abandoned you and fled Soul Society? Because it was better…" She drifted closer to whisper in a petrified Soifon's ear. "I couldn't bear to have stayed around a pitiful _scrap_like you!"

"Lies!" Soifon yelled, but tears were streaming down her cheeks now. These were her own insecurities, and this dreamscape Yoruichi was fake, just the hideous manifestation of her fears. Just an illusion…

"You are not worthy of leading the Onmitsukido!" Yoruichi yelled, japing a finger at her. Her eyes flashed with madness and fury, and her voice still sounded like a thousand voices together. "Born the weakest child in a family of _six_children! In a lower-class family that was not worthy!" Yoruichi narrowed her eyes and glared at her. "You should have been exiled," she spat, "You were not worthy and never. Will. Be." Yoruichi then disappeared in a flash of smoke, leaving Soifon crying bitterly.

"It's just a dream," she told herself furiously. She was kneeling on the ground after her latest encounter with dreamscape Yoruichi. She wished the real Yoruichi was here to comfort her and banish all her fears… No. She shouldn't hope for that. Yoruichi was too busy, and Soifon wasn't weak. But she couldn't help wanting someone to tell her it would all be okay. "_Or is that because I'm weak?"_she asked herself miserably.

"Soifon!" Yoruichi – a solid, full-colour Yoruichi – ran towards her and wrapped her arms around the silently crying figure. "Are you alright?" Her voice was the voice of the normal Yoruichi, and her smile was genuine as she patted Soifon on the back. "Let me hug you into my bosom!

"_Is this another demon sent to torment me? She sure acts like the real Yoruichi."_Soifon thought sullenly as she was wrapped in her friend's embrace, _"Or is she what I dreamed up to comfort myself?"_When the solid Yoruichi kept sitting there, comforting her, Soifon sent another hateful thought towards herself. _"I'm pathetic."_

Yoruichi held her at arm's length. "Soifon! You are strong," she insisted. "You don't need a figment of your imagination to comfort you." She narrowed her eyes. "Or was that all fake? Was I deluding myself?"

"No! Another fear!" Soifon screamed, shoving Yoruichi away and running. She was panting heavily, her eyes wild, staring at the traitor Yoruichi. "Just another fear…" Soifon broke down again miserably as Yoruichi leapt into the air.

"You were strong!" Yoruichi yelled, and she faded, only to reappear behind Soifon as Soifon fled in the opposite direction. Yoruichi's eyes blazed. "I only came because you were too weak to just shut up and deal with it!" Yoruichi screeched, disappearing again in a puff of smoke.

Soifon looked around, panicked, until Yoruichi appeared again, behind her, with a familiar-looking katana in her hand. Soifon stared, terrified and shocked, then snapped out of it. She once again took up a defensive stance, but she couldn't hurt her old mentor, nightmare or not.

She glared at dreamscape Yoruichi, tears pouring out of her eyes at her own insecurities and fears. Yoruichi lunged and Soifon ducked, only to have Yoruichi disappear again in another puff of smoke and reappear, stabbing Soifon from behind, golden eyes flashing with malice. Soifon stared down at horror at the blade protruding from her chest.

"_Sorry but not sorry, boss!"_ cackled a singsong voice.

Suzumebachi.

Soifon woke up with a start, drenched in sweat and tears dried of her face. Her breath came in rapid, shuddering gasps, and she touched her chest where Suzumebachi had pierced her straight through.

"_Boss? You alright?"_It was Suzumebachi, and she sounded worried, genuinely worried for her master and friend. She materialized, fluttering around the room with her golden glow and settled on Soifon's shoulder.

"I'm fine!" Soifon snapped, still trembling and hugging herself. The dream was real... Too real for her liking. "I just want to sleep without distractions and annoyances, so go away!"

Suzumebachi was silent for a moment, then she wrapped her arms around Soifon's neck, her tiny stature way too small for her to do it completely. She was still perched on Soifon's shoulder, then drifted up and whispered in her ear, _"It was a nightmare, right?"_

Soifon felt terrible. "Yes… It was… Sorry for snapping at you," she added sheepishly. Suzumebachi waved it off.

"_It's alright. Just know, I'm here for you to talk to when it gets too bad."_Suzumebachi winked, then faded away, returning to the sword. Soifon exhaled and leaned back on her sheets, trying to forget the sensation of being stabbed through the chest. She had been cut down before, Aizen being the most recent, but that didn't mean she had to _enjoy_being stabbed.

-::-

"Yo! Soifon! Bee-chan?" Yoruichi fell from the sky and landed with a dull thud and a crouch on the ground at the foot of the stairs. She stretched. "It's good to be home," she sighed, "Although technically home is where Kisuke lives, in that tiny little shop."

She had gone to Yamamoto earlier, showing him the not from Kisuke. His eyes narrowed even further, almost resembling Gin's, until he scowled, grumbled something and waved her off with grudging approval, telling her, "She still couldn't just stroll through; she was still exiled." She was only here for the Arrancar meeting, surveying them and making sure they were alright and behaving, then taking the results to Kisuke.

"Soifon?" she called anxiously. Was her friend alright?

"Yoruichi-sama…" Soifon trudged down the stairs, looking disheveled and sleep-deprived. There were black rings around her eyes and her braids looked like they were clumsily done with fumbling fingers. Soifon almost tripped over her haori as she came down, but she regained her balance, coming down with Shunpo and muttering under her breath.

"Is everything alright?" Yoruichi asked worriedly.

Soifon gazed into her friend's golden eyes, looking so much like the one in her nightmare dreamscape. For a moment, she wanted to just break down and tell Yoruichi everything, but she didn't want Yoruichi to feel guilty and awkward, and she didn't want Yoruichi to think she was weak and needed someone to comfort her, trying to convince her stupid brain everything was alright. And there was always the chance that she could be a traitor, like in the dream, how that solid Yoruichi had hugged her, then stabbed her. "Everything's fine!" she cried hurriedly, whipping around and rushing up the stairs, "You go do your job and I have to deal with things!"

Yoruichi gazed sadly at her friend's disappearing figure. What was up with her?

Soifon was shivering and hugging herself, despite the fact it wasn't even hot. She pushed past several Shinigami and ninjas alike, wanting to disappear to her office. She had just brushed Yoruichi off, dismissing her without a second thought. She had to push people away… She couldn't let them know she was just a stupid, weak girl. She didn't want to be betrayed anymore… She wanted to banish the risk of being abandoned once more. It had already happened 200 years ago, before she had started working for Yoruichi…. She didn't want to think about it. No. She wouldn't. She'd try to forget, like the other million times she'd tried to erase it from her mind.

-::-

The day passed, and night fell again. Soifon wondered maybe tonight she mightn't have any nightmares tonight, seeing as Yoruichi had once again embraced her weakness and reassured her everything was alright… But she had done that before and the nightmares still came. Soifon kept thinking that, in her heart, she was weak and still had insecurities about the reason Yoruichi had forgotten to leave her a note.

Again, she was plagued with nightmares, but it didn't seem like one. Soifon was almost convinced it was a normal dream.

At first, it seemed peaceful enough. Just a grassy field and a clear blue sky. The sun shone, but there was still a sense of… of trouble. She just didn't know the word. And that's what made her take a defensive stand again. Things that seemed perfect and pretty at first often turned out to be hideous and disgusting behind the exterior. She'd learned that a long time ago.

_"Boss!"_Suzumebachi was flying at her, and Soifon regarded the little pixie-like Zanpaktou spirit warily.

"What is it?" she asked tentatively.

"I just wanted to congratulate you on being strong," she purred, half-closing her eyes.

"Huh?"

"Dealing with all that crap, and your stupid mentor."

"Shut up!" Soifon snapped. It just _had_to be a nightmare. The real Suzumebachi would never insult Yoruichi like this.

Suzumebachi's eyes widened. _"She abandoned you! She left you with 100 years of hurt, resentment and loss. Insecurities too. But you were strong… You worked and became the captain of Squad Two. You took all her positions and titles. You are so much better than her. And yet,"_she curled her lip, _"You still choose to follow her around like a damn spaniel!"_

"No!" Soifon shouted. "Shut up about Yoruichi!"

_"Oh? You didn't call her Yoruichi-sama this time. I'm surprised. It seems like you've stopped that disgusting worship of her. That's good."_Her eyes narrowed even further. _"But you had the nerve to worship her in the first place… Even love her… Foolish girl. You were right to attack her like that, and try to kill her. You should have killed her! But no."_Suzumebachi sneered. _"You just had to break down in front of her and accept her back – just like that!"_

"Shut up, _shut up,_SHUT UP!" Soifon roared batting dreamscape Suzumebachi away. She only giggled and did figure-eights in the air before being stabbed to death by another Suzumebachi.

_"Go to hell!"_the other one shrieked. The first, malicious Suzumebachi disintegrated, two Homonka taking their toll. But not without giggling evilly one more, leaving a sombre feeling in the air.

Suzumebachi placed her hand earnestly on Soifon's. _"Don't listen to her,"_she told her seriously. _"Yoruichi is strong, beautiful and powerful. She's your idol. You were right to worship her. In fact, you were right to love her. It was the right thing to do."_

Soifon narrowed her eyes. "What are you going on about?"

Suzumebachi shrugged. _"There was no way she'd ever care about a weakling like you,"_she whispered. _"You were too insignificant and desperate. A broken little girl.. She only pitied you. She only saw you as a subordinate. Only kept you around to prevent you from breaking down again."_

"Fuck off," Soifon growled, almost swinging her empty sword at her, but she stopped herself. She herself had all these thoughts before. All of the nightmares were based off her deepest fears.

_"That's right, dear master…" _Suzumebachi drifted tantalizingly in circles around her, baiting her, making Soifon want to stab her dreamscape Zanpaktou through the middle. To slice off her stinger like she'd done at the Zanpaktou Rebellion. But it wouldn't work for figments of her imagination.

Suddenly, darkness enveloped him and left Soifon groping around in the dark. She couldn't see, couldn't feel… She couldn't even smell. She fumbled, her hands clutching at nothing in particular, and the last thing she heard was Suzumebachi's cackles, tearing through the darkness like a knife.

Soifon sat bolt upright, eyes wild and breathing heavily once more. She was once again covered with sweat. Beside her, Suzumebachi was on her pedestal, but Soifon couldn't help but feel sick at the sight of it. She climbed up, stuck her head out one of the windows and threw up the remains of what she last ate, heaving until she could empty her stomach no more.

_"Boss? You alright?"_Suzumebachi once again materialized, but only to find Soifon standing on her bed, leaning over the window and looking extremely sick. Her face was pale and slightly green.

"I'm fine," she snapped, slumping over the windowsill. The wind flew in her face and tousled her hair, and she felt like crying again, like she always did. She had to stop. This had to stop. She was tired of being weak and vulnerable at night when she had nightmares of hurt, betrayal and doubt. She was tired of this. There was a dull thud from above, but she barely even registered it.

But still, she wanted someone to reassure her that it would be alright. She wanted someone to hold her and let her cry, accepting her. She wanted her eldest brother Akihiro back. But he was long dead, buried deep in the forest with their four other brothers, their parents and their grandmother, the renowned Soifon, namesake of the current Squad Two captain.

Soifon managed a weak smile, and drew herself up on shaky arms. She had avoided getting vomit on herself, but it was still disgusting, seeing it splattered on the ground. She managed to make it to the door and sit with her back to it, arms laying limply by her sides. Her blanket was draped around her shoulders. She gave a harsh, humorless snort, which only made her stomach and ribs hurt, at the thought of what would happen if they saw the rigid, strict, stoic Squad Two captain like this right now. How she'd be stripped of her serious reputation and laughed at for being weak.

So weak.

Suzumebachi was sitting silently at the foot of the bed, her comforting golden glow illuminating the darkened room as she gazed sadly at her master. Tears streamed down Soifon's face as she wept silently where no one could hear. She couldn't bear having these dreams. They weren't particularly scary but it was the fact that the ones closest to her were the manifestations of her demons.

She missed her brothers, her grandma, her parents… She had lived in a life filled with death. Ha. That was expected, since her whole family was basically an assassination business. It was a hard job. A deadly job. They couldn't last forever. The only family member that had survived long enough to retire from old age was her grandma, her namesake, and even she'd died.

_"Yes,"_Suzumebachi whispered, flitting closer, settling on her shoulder and snuggling close. _"I've shared all your pain with you for over a hundred years. I've stayed with you… Convinced you that you were strong, and I stayed with you when you worked your way through to the top. I comforted you when things were too hard,and…"_Suzumebachi closed her eyes. _"I just wanted to say I'm proud of you, boss. You really are strong."_And then she faded away, a little glow emanating from her Zanpaktou on the corner next to her bed.

Soifon heard a crack and rustle, and turned her head to the other open window, and she swore she saw something move. If it had been an eavesdropper… Suddenly she no longer cared. She drew her blanket closer to herself, as if to make herself look more small and vulnerable than she felt.

Soifon buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking as she tried to hold in her sobs. She wanted her brother Akihiro to be alive again, and her grandmother… And Suzumebachi thought she was strong when she actually was not… She was weak… Unworthy… She sat in the silence, her body shaking slightly and curled up into the fetal position.

-::-

Ggio slipped silently from building to building, blending in with the shadows despite the whiteness of his Arrancar uniform. He took a flying leap over the building, landing, doing a roll and landing crouched at the end of the roof. Luminous golden eyes darted around uneasily as he ignored his Zanpaktou's enraged yells reverberating in his mind, although he let out an exasperated huff. Another moment and he was gone with a soft buzzing noise.

He reappeared on a building a short distance away, panting slightly with the exhilaration. His braid was draped over his shoulder, and he flicked it away absently. Tigre Estoque had lapsed into a sulky silence, save for the buzzing noises he heard in his mind, and Ggio huffed before pouncing again, landing silently on the roof of another, lone building. Tigre Estoque took this moment to pipe up. "_Hey boss, hear that?"_

_"What?" _Ggio snapped irritably. He crouched, ready to take another leap, but Tigre Estoque gave a loud yell.

_"Stop!"_

_"What?"_

_"Just listen."_

Ggio snorted, sat down and listened to whatever noise his Zanpaktou could hear. Sometimes he hated how Arrancar were bound to their Zanpaktou like Shinigami were, if his Zanpaktou was _that _annoying and insufferable. _"I can't hear anything."_

_"Listen!" _Tigre Estoque urged. Ggio wrinkled his nose and listened hard. Eventually, he picked up some small sobbing sounds.

_"Someone is crying. So what?"_

He could imagine Tigre Estoque shrugging. It was easy to imagine him shrugging when he said: _"I dunno. Go check it out."_

Ggio closed his eyes for a moment before hopping down, landing silently among the grass save for a few rustles, and rose to peer into the window. He hesitated, then peered over the edge, ready to bolt if anything happened. Bracing himself, he saw a surprisingly quiet, calm scene. A small figure was sitting cross legged next to the door, the blanket drawn around their small frame. They looked tiny and defenseless, and there was a faint golden glow at the foot of the bed. The figure's shoulders were shaking slightly, and Ggio winced.

The golden glow drew closer and the figure regarded it absently, the small golden glow to the left side of the Shinigami, their face illuminated by the light. Yet Ggio could not see who it was, due to their head being turned away from him, and he doubted he'd recognize the person if he did see. He watched on, and Tigre Estoque was silent. He watched as the golden glow faded slowly, another golden glow emanating from the katana displayed beside the bed.

There was a crack and a rustle, and the figure turned their face to look. Ggio dove down behind the wall, out of the window range, his heart hammering against his chest. He'd almost been caught, and Tigre Estoque had the grace to stay mercifully silent, not teasing him or saying anything sarcastic and irritating. But the real reason he was panting, and his heart was beating so rapidly, was because there was no mistaking the face of the person huddled against the door.

Soifon's face was a sickly pale colour, red-rimmed eyes wide and bright with unshed tears. Her own chest was rising and falling with the rapid intakes of breath. But the emotion in her eyes were shocking. Ggio was still registering the pure hopelessness, fear and misery buried in those brown depths; a stark, raw look stemmed from years of terrible events. He recognized that look. He'd often seen it in his own face when he looked in the mirror, a dark, haunted look back when he lived in Las Noches with Barragan and his other Fraccion. He remembered…

He shook his head. Better not dwell on that now. But he couldn't get the image out of his head, not when he slunk away, taking care not to make any loud noises, not even when he reached his own room and sat on the floor, gazing emptily at the Gigai propped up against the wall.


	9. Chapter 9

**Honestly, I'm so grief-stricken right now from one of the other fics... especially since the captain has died and I felt like shit... couldn't write... sorry**

Reunion

Soifon was once again in a messed-up state the next morning. Her eyes were red, once again, and she had black rings around her eyes. Her hair was also braided clumsily and hurriedly, and she seemed to be more guarded and more distant. Also more cold an snappish, although panicked and apologetic about it afterwards, although she didn't show it, it was in her heart, and reflected in her eyes.

Her arms were crossed and she was slightly hunched over. She could also feel someone staring at her, but that was to be expected since she wasn't behaving normally. Suzumebachi was also quiet and brooding. The thefts had seemed to stop, and there were no more invasions, although she still didn't know about the small figure spying on them, this time accompanied by her green-eyed friend.

Ggio stared at Soifon with a mix of curiosity and anxiety. She seemed sick and tired. Soifon often caught him staring and glared at him before hurriedly turning away. He was weird. He didn't grin sheepishly and turn away, but instead he blinked and continued staring. He really was weird. He looked at her as if she was a dying pet, which she didn't like. It was annoying, having his curious, golden gaze boring into her when she hadn't done anything. Or was he suspicious of how her actions had changed?

-::-

"Right! Let the meeting begin!" Cirucci said bossily, slamming her fist down on the table. The Arrancar were seated around several tables, bunched together in their squads. There were Dordoni and Cirucci for Squad One, Ggio by himself for Squad Two, Ulquiorra and Redder for Squad Three and Nel, Dondochakka and Pesche for Squad Four. Unohana seemed very interested in her saliva's healing abilities, and the seemed to have improved, and Nel was very happy being in a friendly, child-safe environment without harm. Her former Fraccion were also pleased, but they continued to watch over her. She didn't understand why they were scared of that nice Captain Unohana.

On the next table was Nakeem for Squad Five. No one had joined Squad Six, for fear of Captain Kuchiki gutting them with his Zanpaktou blades. Byakuya himself was happy with this arrangement, as he was still disapproving of hollows. For Squad Seven were Aisslinger Wernarr and Demoura Zodd, who'd wanted a change. They felt they'd be accepted into Squad Seven due to the captain having a strange appearance, and they were welcomed warmly. For Squad Eight, there was no one. Starrk himself had considered joining, as the captain and he were similar and liked to sleep, but he decided against it as it involved work and he didn't want to be away from Halibel.

On the next table were the remaining Arrancar. For Squad Nine, there was Findor by himself. Shawlong and Luppi had joined Squad Ten. Shawlong believed that Luppi as there for the lieutenant's curvaceous figure, but he was actually interested in Captain Hitsugaya, who was disgusted and denied everything. Shawlong had been shocked, then resigned at what had happened, seeing as he also suspected his old master Grimmjow was into males as well. For Squad Eleven, there were Nnoitra, Grimmjow, Di Roy, Ylfordt and Edrad. Edrad had joined to follow Ikkaku, since he had gained a somewhat large amount of respect for the clean-shaven man, and Ikkaku himself was fairly proud. Szayel had been the only one to join Squad Twelve, although he still exerted control over his Fracciones and often made them participate in experiments. And Tesla was by himself for Squad Thirteen.

Yoruichi was seated in the corner, occasionally taking down notes, watching everything with her ochre eyes, her gaze flitting from face to face, and catching everything. She saw everything and cared for little. But even she didn't notice the stranger slinking around the Squad Two barracks with her new friend.

Dordoni cleared her throat. "Cirucci? Don't destroy the table, Nina. These are Yamamoto's and he will… you know."

Cirucci growled and complied, instead tapping the table. "Anyone have problems?"

"That Yumichika guy keeps on giving us dirty looks," Nnoitra and Grimmjow complained in unison, then glared at each other and inched away.

"Whenever we come back, he glares at us and mutters insulting things under his breath," Nnoitra muttered mutinously, his single eye darting from person to person. "And his flair for beautiful things is disgusting."

"Ith becauth Nnoitra-thama is thtupid!" Nel cackled with her lisp, and Pesche and Dondochakka laughed also.

"Shut up, squirt!" Nnoitra growled, lunging and being restrained by Edrad and Ylfordt.

"it's because you keep destroying things," Tesla said mildly, hands clasped together on the table, "And Yumichika is the one who fills out the forms, and he's the only one who understands the concept of charges-"

"Charges?" Ylfordt interrupted, "Like bull charging?"

"-and you keep on destroying things and wasting money," Tesla finished, ignoring Ylfordt completely while the man in particular sat bat down with a huff and began grinding his teeth, shooting death glares to his smug-looking younger brother.

"Well I think the Shinigami are to be respected!" Edrad declared, along with nods and murmurs of approval from Nel, Nakeem, a grudging one from Shawlong and skeptical looks from the other Arrancar. When there was silence, he went on, "They are worthy warriors, capable of forgiveness. Their strength is to be reckoned with."

"You got that right," Grimmjow snorted, crossing his arms and leaning back. "But they're still scum."

Nel jumped up and down on her seat. "They let us join them," she shouted, jabbing a small finger at him, "Even though we were their enemies."

Nnoitra scoffed. "You really think that? We're being used as soldiers. At least the fighting's fun."

There were more murmurs of approval this time, and Yoruichi looked up, sighing and rubbing her head. She ripped off a strip of paper, scrunched it up and threw it at Ggio. "Hey!" he complained, flicking it away, "What was that for?"

The other Arrancar were busy arguing and trying to assert their own opinions. Yoruichi gave Ggio a long, meaningful look, but he still didn't understand, so she flung another paperball at him, ignoring his hisses and mutinous muttering. She turned to the squabbling Arrancar and clapped her hands together. "SHUT IT!" she bellowed, and they all fell silent, one by one, and looked up at her with curious, annoyed expressions. It struck Yoruichi how diverse the hair colours were, but she brushed the thought away, "Arrancar!" she cried, "Are you not pleased with your new living conditions? Surely-"

"Yeah, stop using your fancy talk on us, woman," Avirama Redder growled, only to be hit in the face by a paperball as Yoruichi continued speaking. Ggio glanced at him and smirked, Redder scowling back.

Yoruichi went on, "There is more colour here. Better living conditions – actual wooden houses and rooms and nature instead of the cold, white halls in Hueco Mundo. Lush green forests and landscapes to expore and hunt other minor hollows in. Sparring for fun! Is this not a more cheerful place?"

"What else?" growled Di Roy, picking at his fingernails, his pointed teeth showing through his half-open mouth.

"Better food," Yoruichi said, her eyes glinting. "Remember all that tea you were forced to drink? And bland food you apparently had to eat?" This caught the attention of almost all the Arrancar – they'd hated the gray sludge Aizen fed them, and the excessive use of tea. "Well, here we have sweet candy, meat, vegetables-"

"The fuck're those things?!"

"-bread, ramen, and much more!" Yoruichi jabbed a finger at them. "Don't tell me that makes you sad!" There were more murmurs of agreement, and claps.

Dondochakka and Pesche nodded absently as Nel gazed at Yoruichi, her eyes glazing over. "Maybe Yacchi-san will show me what candy was," she drooled at the thought of the sweets the little pink-haired girl always ate, "she did offer to give me konpeitou if I accompanied her to Byakkun's mansion…"

Tesla nodded. "Seireitei seems like a much better place," he explained.

Ulquiorra nodded also. "It is more… lively."

Shawlong nodded as well. "There might have been dead trees, red pillars and a blue faux-sky in Las Noches but that doesn't compare to this area."

"It is way more pretty!" Cirucci agreed, eyes shining.

"More test subjects," Szayel murmured, adjusting his spectacle-like hollow mask, adding hastily, "I'm joking!" at the glares of other Arrancar.

Dordoni snorted. "And I can re-challenge that Nino the next time he comes!"

"Yeah!" Grimmjow raised Pantera into the air. "I can fight Kurosaki again!"

"So can I," Ulquiorra murmured, opening and closing his hand, "After I disintegrated at his filthy hands."

Yoruichi laughed nervously. "Now, now… Let's not get too wrapped up in all the fighting, shall we?" She scribbled some more notes into her notepad, and slammed it shut. She then produced several tiny boxes from her shirt, "Let's play cards, shall we?"

An hour later, they were engaged in furious card games inside the hall. Ggio was caught up in a tense game of snap with Tesla, Di Roy and Redder, and he was winning, because of his superior speed he claimed. Grimmjow and Nnoitra soon joined in, and it became a hell of a lot more angry with their yells and bellows.

Cirucci sighed, her head lolling on her shoulder in a bored manner as she effortlessly beat Dondochakka, Pesche, Dordoni and Aisslinger at a game of Go Fish, much to the shock and denial of said Arrancar. Dordoni shook his head and threw down his cards, saying that it was too much for him. He drifted over to where Ggio was engaged in a death match of Snap with Nnoitra, glaring into each other's eyes and hissing insults.

The rest of the Arrancar were more-or-less neutral, mildly dealing out cards and playing with them. There wasn't too much violence involved, and Yoruichi noted this as she continued writing down notes for Kisuke. This would be interesting for him and Kurotsuchi to know; they hadn't counted on Szayel beating at least seven other Arrancar with such ease. He was now faced against Cirucci, and the tension in the air almost rivalled that of Ggio and Nnoitra's match, involving the two of them glaring at each other, then back down at the card pile as they searched for two matching cards, one after the other.

She sighed, slapping a hand to her forehead as Nnoitra won, kicking Ggio's chair legs out from under him as he slammed his hand down on the pile of cards almost hard enough to smash a hole through the table (there was a dent though, and the cards flew everywhere) and Ggio was glaring at the lanky man with a burning hate. Nnoitra now proceeded to goad Ggio, causing the smaller man to kick him in the shins and stalk off. Arrancar may have been efficient fighters, but they weren't good sports.

-::-

"We have returned with news." The two slim figures entered the clearing.

"Bow," a low voice rumbled. The two figures glanced at each other. "_Now_," it commanded again, exerting enough Reiatsu for the two figures to fall to their knees and wince.

"My lord, we cannot keep up these barriers anymore!" a few voices cried, and there was a sound resembling a zapping, wavering electrical sound. The voice sighed, and the owner shifted slightly.

"On your feet, Loly, Menoly." The two girls rose, harbouring mutinous expressions in their eyes as they looked at the figure in front of them, draped in shadow.

"We have returned with the news," Menoly said in a tight voice.

"Oh? Please tell."

"As you wish, _Barragan._" Loly glared at the wizened old Espada sitting on what looked like a throne made out of bones and shattered hollow masks, albeit slightly beaten up. The old Espada didn't look too good. His crown was somewhat cracked, once-thick white hair falling limply around his head. He had lost a lot of weight, and his clothes were fairly tattered, the black fur collar around his neck missing a few clumps of hair here and there. His face was still ancient and wrinkled, but more gaunt.

_"The great emperor has fallen," _Menoly thought to herself. She and Menoly quickly recounted the news of Ggio and Soifon."They seem to have had, uh, a few... awkward moments. I don't think they like each other that much, but Ggio seems slightly interested in her and she seems flustered by his presence, according to Loly," Menoly furrowed her eyebrows, and at the mention of her name, Loly puffed herself up with pride, "And that's what she's achieved so far."

"What we achieved," Loly said, slapping a hand over Menoly's back and then slinging it around her neck, "And she still seems the same; earlier she was this cold, pretentious bitch!" Loly snarled. Menoly shot her an uneasy look, then her gaze focused on a branch next to Barragan's head.

"So neither of them have changed in any way..." Barragan chuckled, remembering the training Ggio had put himself through. He also remembered the way the same Arrancar used to cower when he thought no one was watching, and he remembered how he had tried to boast and make himself look better to please his master, despite the various beatings he got for disorderly conduct with his fellow Fraccion... But Ggio got a lot more, didn't he? It was easier to take out his anger on him... Barragan shook his head, still chuckling in a low voice. "He will leap at this new mission I will give him..."

Loly shifted her feet. "Uh, Barragan-"

"_Barragan-sama."_

"-Barragan-sama, how is this going to help us rescue Aizen-sama?" As she said his name, a pink blush began to form on both of the Arrancar girls' faces, and they glanced nervously at the ancient Espada. "Because all this is just involving something happening to a single captain, not the whole of Seireitei..." The word rolled unpleasantly in her mouth. "How is this particular captain going to unlock this?"

"I will have my revenge!" Barragan hissed," She will be broken beyond repair! And I will finally kill her for _daring _to shoot her Bankai at me!" He reveled in the thought, completely missing the fact that it was actually Hachigen Ushouda that had killed him in the end, turning his own power against him, and that Hachigen was nowhere to be seen. He had no intentions of helping the two foolish Arrancar girls to rescue Aizen; he hated that bastard's guts and wanted him to rot in the cell. Of course, Loly and Menoly didn't know that.

"But-"

Barragan silenced her with a look, then sighed and rubbed his temples. "Catalina!" he barked.

"Yes... Barragan-sama..." A wispy-looking female figure trailed into the clearing, eyeing the faint barrier dome around them. "What will you have of me...?" Barragan inclined his head towards Loly and Menoly, and the girl sighed. "As you wish..."

She appeared in front of them, a thin figure cloaked in black and with a hood over her face. She pulled it back slightly, to reveal a pale face with slanted, kaleidoscope eyes and her features marred by a large scar running from her right eyebrow to the edge of her mouth. Her hollow mask consisted of a white circlet with two protrusions on either side of her head, and another protrusion almost touching the bridge of her nose. Her hair was a deep blue colour, almost black, and it was short and scraggly.

"Hey, what're you doing-" Loly's indignant words were cut off as the girl's eyes began to glow green, lulling them into a daze. Their arms flopped around uselessly by their sides as they swayed, entranced by the emerald glow emanating from Catalina's eyes. Their eyes half-closed.

"Sorry about this," she murmured. "Uncurl, Escorpion..." There was a faint green glow, and the girl lowered her frame slightly, a long, barbed tail snaking out from under the cloak. The girl's face now took on a few small, white plates on her cheeks, and the protrusions on either side of her head had grown slightly. "Making me release for such a petty matter..." she mumbled, half apologetically and accusingly. Barragan avoided her gaze as she drifted closer to the two frozen Arrancar girls. Her tail wrapped around them, and she stung them once each on their foreheads. They crumpled to the ground for a few seconds, then rising up.

"Barragan-sama," Loly murmured, her eyes blank. The strange girl, Catalina, glanced at her almost regretfully before bowing slightly and slinking away. "What shall we do next? Ggio Vega is currently on his way to the forest, to hunt lesser hollows. What should we do?" Loly asked in a toneless, robotic voice.

"Drag him here," Barragan hissed, "Kicking and screaming if he does."

-::-

Ggio resumed his study of Soifon's behavior once they returned, much to her annoyance. She now just glanced at him with a scowl – but with hopelessness hidden in the silver-brown depths of her eyes – and turned away quickly when she saw him staring at her like Kurotsuchi would study his subjects if they happened to be weakening rapidly. She really didn't like it, and wrapped herself up in her haori even more, shivering slightly. She snapped less often, which was a slight relief, but her words instead held a cold blankness to them.

She was always in a hurry nowadays, he noted, almost never stopping to greet fellow squad members, instead throwing muffled _hellos, good mornings, good afternoons, _and _goodbyes _over her shoulder. She never talked much anymore, and whenever she saw someone trying to make casual conversation with her, she excused herself almost apologetically and hurried away, leaving the person in confused and awkward silence.

He had just witnessed this happen to Yoruichi herself, and glanced away, exiting the scene even as he noticed her golden eyes boring into his knew Yoruichi was sure he had done something, perhaps poisoned Soifon, when in truth he hadn't done _anything. _He was sure of it. But it didn't happen - Yoruichi seemed to know that he was confused, probably even more than Yoruichi herself was - and din't question him about it. Thankfully.

Ggio recalled the night he had gone off to hunt hollows, and ended up forgetting and going back to his room because of that shocking revelation... Soifon actually acted real. She - as much as it felt strange and slightly wrong to say this - had an actual heart. Ggio snorted. Now it was time for Ulquiorra to get one, unless he was like her and had been hiding the fact he had a heart under his cold, emotionless exterior. Probably not. Ulquiorra _never_ slipped up, and there was absolutely no evidence that Ulquiorra even had feelings, let alone a conscience.

Ggio leaped silently onto the roof, having seen many others do this as well, particularly Arrancar who had gone hollow-hunting. They really were lax about their security... but then again the Squad One office had no security guards, seeing as Captain Commander Yamamoto was more than enough, and they probably thought this way about any Arrancar who might have decided to rebel.

He perched there for a few more moments. Shinigami were so diverse and interesting... They intrigued him, especially the captain of his squad. If he were a scientist or anything like Szayel, he would have considered it a lab experiment. He then bounded from rooftop to rooftop, eventually using Sonido and scaling the wall with a rapid, wide leap. He continued on into the forest, detecting a faint, tempting Reiatsu of a hollow. It felt strangely familiar and too appealing, and Ggio was suspicious, but he went to investigate further.

He hadn't expected to be grabbed from behind and pulled to a headlock, a blade less than a centimetre from his nose.

* * *

><p><strong>Introducing my minor Numeros OC Catalina. She's got a somewhat minor role, and minor mind-influencing powers, basically like their evil brainwashing system, if you missed that part. But her hold doesn't last that long if the victim has a higher Reiatsu than her. She is not a marysue. There will be other OC Arrancar later on, whose only purpose is to fight and do weird stuff. Anything not satisfactory? Reviews and criticism are welcomed.<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**I like to think that several Bleach characters have unrequited crushes on others... *cough* Apacci on Ggio... heh**

Believing the Lie

Ggio rounded on his attackers, drawing Tigre Estoque and hissing angrily. He could hear his Zanpaktou's indignant yet excited yells as he held the katana out in front of them at the two cloaked figures. "Who are you?" he demanded, narrowing his luminous gold eyes, "Tell me or I will release and slit your throats."

"Come with us," a toneless female voice said. It sent chills down his spine, and it also sounded familiar. He knew that voice, and yet he couldn't pinpoint when he had last heard it, and who it belonged to.

"Where?"

"You'll see," the second figure said. That voice also sounded familiar. They didn't sound hostile, just emotionless and indifferent, but he knew they would do something if he resisted. He was also curious about where they were taking him, and he was pretty sure he could take them on if they had absolutely no Reiatsu; he couldn't detect a scrap of spiritual pressure, only that of several Rukongai villagers and a few rampant minor hollows. But nothing from the strangers.

They traipsed ahead of him, rigid and unbending, which unnerved Ggio slightly. They didn't seem to mind the branches and leaves that flew in their faces. If it were him or any other Arrancar, the offending trees and branches would have been hacked to pieces and pissed upon. Ggio was apprehensive, and so was his Zanpaktou. He could practically hear Tigre Estoque muttering mutinously under his breath.

"Whoa…" They reached a clearing, and inside it was a dome of pale, translucent purple energy. It wavered and flickered, occasionally giving off sparks. It glowed faintly, not enough to be visible to outsiders above the forest, but just bright enough to illuminate the shadows. It wasn't actually dark yet, still around midday, but the trees there grew thick enough to block out the sky. It was the darker part of the forest, and with a start, he noticed there were no animals.

"Enter…" a voice boomed, and Ggio flinched. It was all too much for him… He knew that voice, and bristled again when they were admitted inside – going through the barrier felt like having cold water poured on him – and the voice gave a low chuckle. "Well… We meet again, Ggio."

"Barragan-sama," Ggio muttered, "Stop being so dramatic like this. It wasn't that long before I last saw you. What are you doing here, lurking in this forest in the middle of the day? And who're they?" he indicated with his hand to the two silent figures behind him, and a few hunched-over people behind the trees, seeming to power the dome. With a cold sense of dread, he could now sense the Reiatsu. It must have been concealed by the dome. But what about the two girls…?

"Ggio!" Barragan exclaimed, and assaulted him with such a surge of Reiatsu that Ggio fell to his knees, winded, the two cloaked girls collapsing also. The hunched figures almost keeled over, and the dome flickered and faded for a moment before returning, sparks flying.

"Should I sting him, my lord?" a permanently miserable voice sounded questioningly. "Or at least decapitate him for a moment?" The voice was female, and it was obedient and apologetic, yet it also held threatening and eerie undertones.

"Loly, Menoly, remove your cloaks," Barragan commanded. The two girls obliged, revealing their tattered Arrancar uniforms. Loly's twin tails had lost their glossy glow, becoming thin and stringy, and her skirt was ripped and torn. Menoly's shirt was smudged and dirty and there was a few scratches on her arms and legs. Both girls had lost a lot of weight, looking emaciated, and their eyes were glazed over and blank. "Catalina, release them now."

"As you wish," the melancholy voice melted through the heavy silence. There was a rustle, and another cloaked figure peered around Barragan's throne, her face shadowed by her hood. Her eyes glowed green for a moment, with flickering light. The two female Arrancar fell to their knees, panting and coughing.

"Now, you see why doing this will help with releasing Aizen? Barragan spoke, his voice almost a purr. The ancient Espada sat upon his weathered throne, looking down at the other Arrancar condescendingly, a smug, satisfactory look in his eyes.

"Yes…" Loly and Menoly chorused, as if they really understood and were sure about his words, but their voices held an undertone of uncertainty, and there was a vague look in their eyes. Loly's deep pink eye was slightly glazed, and Menoly's murky green one blinked slowly, as if she was trying to register a large amount of shocking information.

Ggio recoiled. "But Barragan-sama, I thought you-"

"Shut up, Ggio!" Barragan roared, then calmed. Plastering a smug smile on his wrinkled face, his white moustache stretching as his faux-smile widened. "I've had a change of heart," he laughed. But then he turned serious, "Ggio? I have a task for you. And it doesn't involve you two," he added to Loly and Menoly.

Loly crossed her arms. "Yeah, we know," she growled, "We're only sticking by you so you'll help us bust Aizen-sama out of prison. That's why we've been so loyal and unquestioning."

Barragan narrowed his eyes. "Would you rather I left you hanging off the wall of Las Noches by that Quincy's arrow? Your skirt would have torn soon, and you would have fallen and landed as a little grease spot on the white sands of my kingdom."

"Former kingdom," Loly corrected peevishly, balling her fists, "And-"

"Loly, let's go," Menoly urged her worriedly, single green eye glancing at Barragan and then rushing back to her dark-haired friend. "Before we cause trouble and rot with his Respira."

"Yes, listen to Menoly," Barragan waved them off, "And go bother Catalina or something."

"But, lord!" came the pitiful wail of said Arrancar who was cowering behind the throne.

"Oh, hush," he snapped. They watched as Loly gave them a last mutinous glare and stormed off, Menoly and Catalina trailed after her, Menoly having donned her cloak again.

"Reiatsu-concealing cloaks," Barragan mused, "Ones we stole from the labs. Yes, they've come in handy."

Ggio eyed Barragan warily. "So what was it you wanted me for?"

Barragan laughed. "Remember how I got blasted through the head with tha-that _woman's _rocket launcher?" He ended the question with a snarl.

"Yes…?"

"Well," Barragan suddenly grabbed Ggio's collar, tugging him forward to his face. "Break her spirit," he hissed,eyes glinting with madness. Ggio's own eyes were wide and panicked, glowing gold irises shining with panic and confusion. Barragan's gaunt face twisted into a scowl. "Make her fall in love with you," he snarled, "And then betray her. Take all that away from her and leave her."

"But-"

"That will break her spirit," Barragan released Ggio, flinging him across the ground. Ggio tumbled over the grassy earth, skidding over clumps of grass. He landed against a tree and struggled to his hands and feet, staring at Barragan. Barragan was now breathing heavily, having risen from his throne and exerted his strength flinging Ggio like a rag doll. "And then lead her to me," Barragan grinned evilly, "And I can do to her what she did to me. I can crush her skull and kill her. Revenge against that pitiful Shinigami."

Ggio peered at Barragan through narrowed ochre eyes. His former master had surely gone mad. Wasn't there another person involved in his death? Or was it the fact that he'd been defeated by his own attack, and resented being damaged by a foreign attack? Either way, he was shocked. Barragan wanted him to trick her and steal her heart, then crush it in his hand and leave her lost and broken, her spirit damaged enough for Barragan to easily kill her and exact his revenge. What a twisted plan. Soifon was already broken enough as it was - not that he cared - but it was just horrible to think about. If he did, he'd be assassinated by Yoruichi and dumped in a ditch somewhere. He was no match for the dark-skinned woman, if she managed to thrash Yammy that much while unarmed. He had a conscience and also, he wanted to start over. But he couldn't let Barragan know.

"It will be hard," he managed, his mind whirling. "She's cold and doesn't let anyone in. It's like she has this hard, protective shell around herself and everyone who tries to break it just crashes and flies away." It took him a moment to realize he'd been making ridiculous hand gestures, and he stopped and continued, "It's really hard to get close to her, I've heard. Apparently the only person she trusts is Yoruichi, and then Yamamoto."

"Not that scientist dude? Sandal-hat?" Barragan eyed him suspiciously.

Ggio forced a laugh. "She despises his guts, and hates him. Yoruichi tells me she had him trapped in a Kido box for a month since he revealed her Bankai. There's no way she'll accept me if I was brought back to life by his lot. She'll probably suspect every Arrancar has these modifications and other stuff implanted into them." He said that last statement almost truthfully; it had been on his mind for a long time now, that either one of the three scientists had planted a bomb in someone.

"You will do it," Barragan hissed, eyes blazing with madness, "I command you to!"

"You think she'll fall for someone like me?" Ggio laughed. He wanted no part in this. The thought of hooking up with Soifon sent chills down his spine, and made him slightly sick, as well as fearful. She'd probably slit his neck or something since she wasn't a big fan of contact and friendship. Her current state of mind wasn't too good anyway, and Yoruichi would be threatening to break every bone in his body if she suspected him of anything.

"GGIO!" Barragan roared, lashing out once more. He used Sonido to appear before Ggio and pin him to the tree. The dome wavered and flickered slightly, giving off buzzing and cracking sounds. Ggio winced and struggled, thrashing and kicking but Barragan held firm. "This is my chance for revenge," Barragan seethed, squeezing his hands around Ggio's neck. "Breaking her spirit. Don't deny your master," he suddenly had a change of tone and crooned softly, leaning down beside Ggio's face to whisper in his ear, "Do it or die."

Ggio narrowed his eyes. "You're not my master," he hissed, "Not anymore."

"Oh really?" Barragan laughed, throwing Ggio aside again. His eyes flashed. "Who picked you up off the sands of Hueco Mundo? Who took you in and made you strong, instead of the bleeding, weak little-"

"Shut up!" Ggio yelled.

"You were weak," Barragan sneered, "And I pitied you and took you in. If I hadn't, the Menos would have feasted on your corpse and you would be here now. You owe me everything."

Ggio glared mutinously at Barragan, rubbing his neck and wincing. Suddenly, Barragan disappeared and reappeared right in front of him, and kicked him in the ribs, sending Ggio tumbling. Tigre Estoque yelled a few things, but Ggio couldn't hear him through the ringing of his ears. His ribs hurt, and he felt bile rising in his throat. Barragan kicked him in the back, and Ggio winced again.

"You were such a cute little subordinate," Barragan chuckled, "Always eager to prove yourself, to win every fight to get you favoured because you were the _runt_. The smallest and weakest. Always acting cocky and arrogant when in truth, you went off to lick your wounds were no one could find you. You let yourself get kicked around for me." Barragan narrowed his eyes. "And you have to do it again."

Ggio rose, staggering slightly. "No," he rasped. The ringing in his ears grew louder, and he felt a stabbing pain in his mind.

_"Come on, Ggio. The task won't be hard for you..." _Ggio paled. This wasn't Tigre Estoque. it was Barragan's voice. It seemed like the Espada still held a fair amount of authority over their Fraccion, bending them to their will. It must have been how Nnoitra had managed to turn Tesla into his personal slave back in Hueco Mundo. It sometimes drove the Fracciones to brief periods of unconsciousness, as the Espada forced their hold over their Fraccion. And now, Barragan was attacking his mind.

Ggio glared defiantly at his former master. _"No."_

_"You weren't all that undesirable. It won't be hard for you.."_

_"What do you mean?" _Ggio asked suspiciously.

_"Remember Emilou Apacci?"_

_"What about her?"_

_"She loved you," _Barragan crooned, his voice echoing in Ggio's mind. _"Remember how she followed you like a dog? And always sided with you and agreed with you?"_

_"That was a crush?" _Ggio was perplexed. _"I thought she was just trying to be friendly."_

Barragan sighed, exasperated. _"She was in love with you, but she's gotten over it now. So there's hope for your scrawny ass."_

_"Hah, I don't want to do your bloody mission anyway. It's stupid, and I don't give a fuck about it. The only thing I'm going to do as your former subordinate is not rat you out, since you'd be apprehended by Yamamoto and thrown in Hueco Mundo or jail."_

_"You will submit..." _Suddenly, the pressure lifted off Ggio, and he knelt, panting, only to have his mind barraged by relentless attacks. He fell to his hands, then clutched and clawed at his head as his head felt like it was imploding... He could feel Barragan twisting and bending his mind, and he tried to fight back but alas, that was not the nature of Espada/Fraccion binding... He couldn't take it any more. He felt like dying now, and Barragan still stood there calmly, his moustache lifting in a mocking smile.

"I... will... submit..." Ggio gasped, curling into a ball. He almost agreed and sympathied with Barragan... No... he was only agreeing so that the bastard would release him... But he sounded reasonable... He growled. This was Barragan attempting to tamper with his thoughts. But... Barragan gave his mind one final wrench, and Ggio gave a yell, tearing at his clothes and the grass. He agreed with Barragan's view. He would submit. Barragan was his master, and Ggio was his most loyal follower. He would do this.

"Good." Barragan's hold on his mind disappeared, leaving Ggio panting and relishing the freedom. "Report back to this same spot every month." Barragan nodded, and everyone disappeared with faint buzzing sounds. The dome faded with one last crackle, and Ggio was left alone to recover from Barragan's assault on his mind. But he couldn't help agreeing with Barragan's views now.

"Hey, Barragan-sama?" Catalina's melancholy voice piped up from behind Barragan. They were in a cave deep into the forests near Sabitsura.

"What is it...?"

"You could have just asked me to release and sting him..."

"No. My way was better, and it was more long-lasting. The little shit has grown stronger. But my way was successful. I could feel his mind giving in and weakening, believing the things I forced into his thoughts." Barragan leaned back on his throne.

"Oh..." Catalina furrowed her brow. She couldn't recall how she had agreed to join Barragan in the first place... She had been subjected to hours of traipsing off and stinging powerful Arrancar Barragan had recruited... But still...

"Any doubts?" Barragan's voice was eerily calm and level, but it also had a hint of malice in it.

Catalina gulped. "No, Barragan-sama." She paused. "But there was a way to break the Espada's hold over their Fraccion and minor Numeros, wasn't there?"

Barragan snorted. "Aizen, the bastard, made a way. It would be broken by true love. He must have made it since us hollows cannot feel true love, and it would never work."

Catalina shifted her feet. "But if Ggio were to fall for that Shinigami woman..."

"He won't. My hold over him is too strong, and he clearly doesn't like her."

"But... Tesla's been getting more rebellious lately, and stopped listening to Nnoitra..."

Barragan scratched his chin. "That idiot Nnoitra has probably stopped controlling him. There's no way the runt could have broken the hold himself."

"I see..."

Barragan's eyes narrowed. "Why are you curious about this?" A faint pressure began to knock at Catalina's mind, and she recoiled. It felt as if someone were knocking on her skull. "Are your loyalties shifting?" The knock became stronger, almost like a thump, and Catalina staggered.

"N-no."

"Good."

-::-

Tesla came across Ggio later. "What happened to you...?" Tesla had only been exploring, having found a strange Reiatsu. He had stumbled into the darker part of the clearing at Ggio's faint Reiatsu pulse, and almost tripped over him once he'd scrambled down the hill, having taken a different way than Ggio.

"What indeed?" Ggio croaked, pulling himself to his feet with a wince. "I got attacked by a multitude of hollows." This had been a lie planted into his mind by Barragan, and it wasn't the only thing. Ggio scrunched up his face, remembering his mission, and composed himself. He would do anything for his master, and this was just another task for him to do.

"So... Go back?" Tesla asked uncertainly. There was something strange, something different about his shorter friend... They had been friends for long enough to tell when something was wrong, and something was definitely _very _wrong here.

Ggio wiped some blood out of the corner of his mouth and dusted himself off. "Yes, let's return to Seireitei," he said breezily, and also a little anxiously.

"Well then..."

Tesla had accompanied Ggio to his barracks, trying to convince him he needed to go to Squad Four, but Ggio had brushed his attempts off, claiming he was fine. His ribs still hurt, and there were phantom fingers around his neck, but he dismissed those feelings. They were just weak aches. Damn them. Tesla gave Ggio one last lingering, uncertain look before disappearing with Sonido back to his barracks.

"Where have _you _been?" Soifon's quiet, slightly strained voice sounded from the top of the stairs. She looked a little better than before, but still wary and cold. She narrowed her eyes. "Did you get into a fight again?"

"No, no," Ggio laughed, sauntering up the stairs with a slight limp. He remembered Barragan's mission for him and turned back to a still-suspicious Soifon. "Worried about me? How sweet. I'll be fine," he said, donning a wide smirk that did absolutely nothing to change her deadpanned look. _Ah well... Every task has a difficult start..._

* * *

><p><strong>this is so fuckin cliche but i ran out of ideas n shit. i'm not really motivated to write anymore but i have small bursts of inspiration which is just me furiously writing spam and fillers that have nothing to do with stuff and yeah... but this is not going on hiatus, since i'm gonna finish it. or try to at least.<strong>

**cheers.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry if this is stupid, shitty, half-assed writing but tbh I'm feeling miserable because my guinea pig died and smh, it seems like just a little thing to be sad over but I'm generally feeling half-assed these days and just plodding through shit. Actually these chapters used to be pre-written if anything happened, like if I couldn't type anymore stories but now I don't have any spare, pre-written chapters because I've been feeling so lazy and forgetful. Sorry for making you read 3.5 thousand words of a shitty story every bloody chapter.**

Impossible Task

Ggio sat on the roof alone, frowning. He was still wondering why his mind felt so blank, and how he had no recollection of why he hurt so much. His ribs, the small of his back, his neck... It was confusing. All he knew now was that Barragan was counting on him to do a task... An impossible one though... His frown deepened. But it involved tricking everyone and then betraying them... He furrowed his brow. Barragan wanted him to hurt Soifon, even though she was hurting so much already... No, it was actually to fix her, then break her again, in a sense. Ggio sighed and shuffled his feet. He didn't want to do this but... Barragan still was his master. No, former master. But why did he have such the urge to obey him?

Ggio slid down the tiles of the roof and dropped down, landing on the tiled floor. He made his way back inside, still brooding. He wanted to fix Soifon's problems, since he felt useless whenever someone around him was crying, and he hated feeling that way... It made him squirm and writhe of discomfort on the inside. Besides, it would help his chances and he could get this damn job done quicker. He smirked. Didn't Soifon value speed?

But he couldn't help but feel annoyed when Barragan gave him that task... Couldn't it have been Findorr? The bastard loved being great at everything and he was probably going to leap at a chance to show off and win some lady's heart. But Soifon probably didn't like boastful, arrogant assholes, so Findorr was out... He shrugged inwardly. Maybe Barragan had his reasons, like how Ggio was in her squad, how Ggio fought her, and perhaps how Ggio had similar powers, and a fairly short stature... Dammit, Ggio didn't want to do this. And about the tall-short thing, if his senile crackpot of a master really had chosen him for that, it might have been because having a short partner would make her feel tall... But Ggio couldn't help but feel pissed at the very thought.

And there were the thefts to take care of... He didn't get how people could have hacked into Kurotsuchi's lab, since it was so well-protected, and Szayel himself was there... Combined the two bastards could have taken over Soul Society but they didn't because the thought had never crossed into their evil mad-scientist minds. Barragan and the thefts might have been linked somehow but it was unlikely. Very unlikely.

His thoughts lingered on Soifon and why she locked herself in her room to cry in the middle of the night. Was she unhappy? Well of course she was. But unhappy with what? Her life? Her squad members? Everything? Her past? If only he knew. He'd be one step closer to completing his task and pleasing his master - no, former master. He sighed. It was hard to wrap his mind around it.

-::-

Soifon hurried to and fro, murmuring muffled apologies and greetings to whoever was in her way and whoever she might have accidentally bumped into. All the faces seemed to melt together into one horrific entity, and they all blurred around her. She was one in many, with her petty problems… Everyone else had theirs, she had hers, the world would go round and round and everyone was linked like a woollen patchwork quilt, every square with its own faded ink and ragged holes… Perhaps Soifon's square of woollen quilt was the most faded and ragged of them all.

"Hello!" a bright voice said cheerily, right in front of her. Soifon whipped around and almost collided with someone wearing an orange shirt that struggled to contain their busty chest. As it was, she stumbled into them and they caught her, saying, "Whoa, whoa, steady there!" They tipped her chin up. "What's wrong?"

"Yoruichi-sama!" Soifon could hardly believe that came out of her mouth. Immediately she clamped it shut again, reddening slightly, and Yoruichi laughed.

"Nice to see you too…" Yoruichi's smile melted away, leaving only an expression of worry on her face, anxiety reflected in those golden orbs of hers. Her slender fingers fidgeted with Soifon's braids while she held her out in front of them. Sternly, she said, "Soifon, tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing," Soifon mumbled, turning away and squirming, "I'm perfectly fine."

"Soifon-"

"It's nothing!" she gabbled, "I've got work to do and I need to kick Omaeda's ass, and I also need to supervise the Arrancar and they're probably off somewhere playing detective – bye!" She used Shunpo to effectively escape from her former mentor, leaving nothing but empty space in front of the taller, exotic-looking woman. Yoruichi stared sadly at the spot Soifon had just been standing in with a mixture of confusion and worry, and promptly disappeared also.

Soifon dashed away, unable to bear the sight of Yoruichi. Not that she didn't like or anymore or anything, Yoruichi was still her best friend, but… She couldn't get the stabbing out of her mind. She'd been dream-stabbed before and they all felt real, and usually they were by Yoruichi. Occasionally it had been her brothers, but rarely.

She broke into a run, needing to get back to her office, but ended up bumping into Ggio and almost knocking him over. "What-" he started to say, then caught sight of her face.

It still had that same lost look filled with anguish and grief, but it tightened into a forced smile – it looked more like a grimace – and she muttered an apology before pushing him away and disappearing with Shunpo. He stared after her, gaping, almost impersonating a goldfish.

Yoruichi appeared a moment later, accidentally stomping on his foot. He let out a hiss, and glared down at her before wasking, "What?" except this time more irritated than worried and questioning.

Yoruichi glanced at him and said, in a low voice, "D'you know what happened to Soifon?"

Ggio hesitated. "I have no idea," he said finally, shrugging, "She just sometimes goes like that."

Yoruichi narrowed her eyes. "You know something, don't you?"

Ggio squirmed under her fiery, narrow-eyed stare. Should he tell her he overheard her? Or would she think he was spying on her? Yoruichi tapped her foot, and she looked as if she had all the time in the world to wait for him to spill the beans. "Alright," he said, "I was taking a walk at night and I happened to overhear some quiet talking," he continued, ignoring Yoruichi. "At first I didn't know it was her. I then heard her crying quietly, and then I realized it was her room, and Soifon was the one crying."

"Did you do anything to calm her down?" Yoruichi queried.

"Fuck no!" Ggio cried, "I didn't want to get kicked in the face." He rubbed his neck sheepishly and added, "I'm an Arrancar. I don't understand these feelings like Shinigami do. I'm a hollow."

Yoruichi pat his shoulder, although she seemed exasperated. "Just because you're an Arrancar doesn't mean you're a mindless hollow. Aizen gave you guys some humanity and feeling, so of course you'd be able to understand things like this. Although," her brow furrowed and she crossed her arms, "I don't get why Soifon would do such a thing…" Her eyes then grew sad. "Is it still that…?" she murmured to herself.

"Still what?" Ggio chirped.

Yoruichi eyed him apprehensively. "Tell no one what you heard that night. I trust you can keep a secret? Yes? Good." She disappeared, leaving Ggio confused as to what happened.

"Of course I can keep a secret," he muttered to himself. "I'm keeping the hugest secret of the century here."

-::-

Yoruichi caught up with Soifon later on, grasping her shoulder. Soifon whisked around, beginning to say something but Yoruichi clamped a hand over her mouth and disappeared, taking a struggling Soifon with her.

"What are you doing?!" she cried once Yoruichi set them down. They were outside in the forest, Yoruichi gazing mournfully down at her. Soifon froze, terrified, and the events came back to her from the dream. Yoruichi stood before her with a mournful expression on her face. Without warning, she leaned down and wrapped Soifon in a warm embrace, squeezing her and filling her with warmth. Soifon struggled at first, wriggling and squirming, but eventually allowed herself to be hugged, and accepted it, hugging Yoruichi back with a mournful expression, her eyes filled with sadness. Confused sadness, but also remembering the nightmares.

"Soifon, I-I'm sorry," Yoruichi murmured.

"Sorry?" Soifon eyed her, confused. "You're apologizing now?"

Yoruichi sighed. "I-I never did back then," she said regretfully. "I guess I was too caught up with you collapsing on the ground."

Soifon pulled away. "I forgave you!" she cried, "I let you back too easily! I loved you too much, Yoruichi, and now I remember, you actually didn't apologize for abandoning me!" Her features were sharp and twisted, but then they eased. "I understood why you couldn't bring me along," she whispered, "You had an obligation to do."

Yoruichi was frozen in shock. "Soifon, I-"

Soifon's expression hardened as well. "But you could have told me!" she hissed, not wanting to raise her voice too high. If anything, it was like a whispered yell that no one could have noticed. "I could have helped you! I could have come along with you! Instead you left me, clueless and alone, with the knowledge you were a criminal," Soifon spat. Her mind was in a whirl. She needed to get Yoruichi away from her. She didn't realize what she was saying, but she needed to clear her mind.

"Soifon, I said I'm sorry, and I'll say it again. I'm sorry for abandoning you, I'm sorry for never telling you, and I'm sorry for never understanding how you felt."

Soifon glared at her former mentor, arms crossed, drawing closer to herself. She seemed to be shrinking away from Yoruichi. "I had all of this bottled up inside me," she muttered, "And it haunted me, even after we supposedly made up. And during the Zanpaktou Rebellion, Suzumebachi reinforced these insecurities!" She gave a bark of mirthless laughter. "Her mind was addled by Muramasa, but I knew that it was what she felt on the inside."

Yoruichi stared at her. "R-Really?"

Soifon sighed and rubbed her temples. "Look, I'm sorry too, Yoruichi-sama... I don't know... I..." The memory of Yoruichi stabbing her with Suzumebachi rang fresh in her mind now, and she flinched, although the real Yoruichi herself did nothing but stare, regret, shock and guilt flashing in her gaze.

Finally Yoruichi spoke. "I knew you were crying at night. But I never knew it was this bad." As soon as she said it, she snapped her mouth shut, eyes bulging. She really shouldn't have mentioned it, and Soifon was beginning to swell up, as if she was going to explode, but she just let it out in a huff, and tightened into a ball.

She glared at Yoruichi. "Who told you? How did you find out? Suzumebachi?" She shrank away, eyes wild and panicked. "What?!"

"Soifon, it's nothing to worry about-"

"No!" Soifon shouted. "You weren't even there! No one was there!" She backed into the tree. "No one was there," Soifon repeated.

Yoruichi cast her gaze down. "Does this mean we're all good? I apologize for my actions-"

"For that, it's okay, but who found out about that night?" Soifon stared pointedly at Yoruichi, unblinking, and Yoruichi fidgeted uncomfortably. Soifon narrowed her eyes. "Who was it?"

Yoruichi kept her mouth shut.

"Who was it...?" Soifon hissed, her Reiatsu boiling just below the surface. Yoruichi could sense it, and she wriggled uncomfortably. She then uttered an inaudible word that not even Soifon could hear. "What?" Soifon asked. "Speak up." Her eyes were cold, but with a hard sort of pleading expression.

Finally, Yoruichi looked Soifon right in the eye. "Okay, but promise not to rage, beat them up or murder them. It wasn't their fault; it was just a coincidence. Only then will I tell you. Deal?"

Soifon narrowed her eyes to slits, but she nodded.

-::-

Ggio hoped Yoruichi was done with whatever the fuck she was doing, but couldn't help feeling a slight sense of impending doom as he sat cross-legged on the roof, his knee bouncing up and down restlessly. He mulled over the Arrancar meeting, and how Yoruichi had managed to win them over so easily. Were their interests really that simple? Food, fighting and whatever the hell was in Seireitei? Well he supposed they had to learn to like that shit because they were the ones who'd chosen to start a new life here, away from the cold and gloomy palace of Las Noches, in the even colder and gloomier realm of Hueco Mundo.

"Ack!" A foot slammed into his back and knocked him off his spot. He tumbled down, grabbing onto the edge of the roof just in time and swinging up, landing on his feet behind his attacker. He whipped around in a roundhouse kick, only to have a small hand press down onto his foot and a blur of white and black as his attacker actually did a handstand on his raised foot, then twisted around, swinging their legs down beside his head so they were straddling his shoulders. His attacker flipped him over, performing a backwards cartwheel in the process. Whoever this is, they must have been extremely flexible and have some sort of magic powers, Ggio thought blearily, wrenching himself from the grasp of the attacker's legs before he ate dirt.

"Che!" His assailant kicked him to the ground and planted a foot onto his chest. With a shock, he realized it was Soifon herself.

"You?"

And she was fighting back angry tears. "Why?" she shouted, pressing down with more force, making him wince. She forcefully scrubbed at her eyes with the back of her black gloves. She wasn't wearing her captain's haori, instead clad in the uniform of the Corps Commander of the Onmitsukō. Her braids swung slightly in the breeze as she once again wiped her eyes. "Spying?" she demanded, letting him up as she lifted her foot, "You'd better explain!"

"Um-"

"The last thing I needed was for someone to overhear!" Soifon was furious, and her traitorous eyes were instead leaking tears. She had enough of crying. "I worked for years to build an image! After… after…" She couldn't talk anymore. She felt like falling to her knees, but no, she was _not _going to sink to the ground in front of this – this half-wit worm! She glared balefully at him, arms crossed. "Talk," she growled, downright menacing.

Ggio swallowed and raised his hands. The image of her expression rushed back at him and all but slapped him in the face. He froze, then put his hands down. "Something happened in your past right?" he said slowly. She paused.

Ggio approached the frozen Soifon tentatively, on edge and cautious with her state. Soifon was standing still, breathing heavily, her heart rapidly thumping on her chest. Her eyes were wide and shocked, and she whipped around to stare at Ggio. "Yes," she said, and her features twisted into a scowl. "And what were you doing, slinking around at night?" She stormed over to him.

"Even Arrancar get bored," he shot back at her. "There's nothing to do here, no books, and sleeping is..." He swallowed. "Look, Soifon, you should get someone to help you. Yoruichi perhaps, but you can't just - you can't keep hiding this from everyone!"

Soifon's eyes narrowed. "I hold myself together for the good of the squad, because if they saw their captain as a shivering wreck they'd lose all hope! I don't want my squad to be as pathetic as me," she snarled, baring her teeth like a cat; something she'd picked up from Yoruichi about 150 years ago. "If you tell anyone, ANYONE, about this, then - then I'll - "

Ggio saw her fist raising and took it in his hand. "You have to let go of the past," he said calmly. There was a pained look in his eyes, and he realised. He'd been hiding his pain from his fellow Fraccion for a long time. The abuse suffered from Barragan's hand... The loneliness as the beaten cat slunk off to lick his wounds... Because he was weak.

Soifon glanced at him; he seemed to be staring into space, and his expression reflected how she'd felt that night. She lowered her fist and unclenched it, and Ggio seemed to snap out of it, blinking away the distant glaze in his eyes. Soifon rubbed her wrist. "Well then..." She turned away. She had not imagined what she saw. A small smile played on her features. "There's something about your past as well, isn't there?"

Ggio tensed. They could both recognise their own.

Soifon went on, "And you're bing a hypocrite, not telling anyone even when it bothers you."

Ggio snapped, "It wasn't as bad as yours."

"Oh really?" Soifon closed her eyes for a moment, then regained her composure. "We don't know anything about each other and I'd like to keep it that way."

She disappeared before he could even open his mouth to say anything, and Ggio turned away and kicked at the ground. How could he lose it like that? A stinging pain went on in his head. He couldn't recall any moment when Barragan raised his hand against him... Could he...?

* * *

><p><strong>Don't read this next statement if you haven't read Bleach chapter 606:<strong>

I love Yuushirou! I can't believe Yoruichi has a little sister! She's never been introduced and after all this time I'm still processing the fact that SHE HAS A GODDAMN SISTER AND NEVER BEFORE HAS IT BEEN MENTiONED smh. anyway should I add her into the story or what? because I really want to but it seems like such a huge spoiler for people and i don't want to ruin it. maybe more into the story when the news gets old.


	12. Chapter 12

**I've made major edits to past chapters, and edited a few of the older ones.**

Kuro

Ggio pondered his predicament a while longer, rolling a smooth pebble between his hands. The rush of the little creek beside him calmed him, and he listened to it. Squatting on a rock in the forest wasn't going to do him any good right now, he supposed, but then again was there anything to do?

He suddenly felt angry. Why couldn't he remember a chunk of his life at times, then have it rushing back to him, only to disappear when he tried to think more about it? It was stupid. Growling, he hurled the pebble into the creek where it landed with a splash and sank down to the bottom, just another small rock on the ground. It would do nothing to change the flow of the water. Like how he could do nothing to change what went on in Seireitei, no matter how forcefully someone threw him.

Threw him? Ggio shook his head. He recalled a brief moment of rushing through the air in Las Noches, only to crumple against the wall. Wincing, he rubbed his head. That's right... He had been thrown hard enough... Hard enough to make a dent in said wall and have chunks of white rock crash down onto him... Involuntarily shuddering him, he wondered who it was that had thrown him.

Barragan? He remembered his master - no, old master's Reiatsu filling up the entire room, threatening to crush him like an ant. His frown deepened. But would Barragan really do that? He thought he was the most loyal out of all his lackeys. But maybe Barragan himself hadn't thought about that. It stung to be doubted by his own master but he had a new life now... Right?

He continued on, trudging slowly out of the forest. He heard the sounds around him, of twittering birds and animal calls. Once or twice something crashed and blundered around in the undergrowth behind him, but he took no notice.

He exited the forest when the trees thinned out and it was no longer so dark and wild, and saw a small Rukongai village. The children had gathered into a circle and were doing something rowdy, and adults were milling around, immersed with their own conversation, taking no notice of the children's games. Ggio probably would have ignored it too, if not for the earsplitting wail emanating from the small circle of tightly-packed children. Curious, Ggio inched closer.

He saw a few barefoot children surrounding a small black kitten, laughing as they kicked at it and prodded it with a stick. The cat's fur was matted and it smelled terrible, and it seemed to be covered in a range of different substances, none of which looked or smelled clean. His eyes narrowed as the kitten let out another piteous wail, and a boy snorted and raised his stick to hit it again. Ggio scowled. Was this how children in the Rukongai district entertained themselves?

He strode over, releasing a small amount of Reiatsu to form a faint magenta light and have children scrambling away from them. The boy who had his stick raised turned to look pointedly at him. "What're you doin' here?"

"Get away from the cat," Ggio muttered.

"No." The boy slammed his stick into the ground, barely missing the kitten who rolled out of the way and let out a few mewls. His eyes narrowed. "You can't take away our fun. This cat here," he waved his stick, causing several people to lean out of the way or duck, "stole some of our food."

"You don't look starving to me, but that kitten does." And it did. Several of its ribs were showing, and it looked as if it was only skin and bones.

"Me, leave the kitten alone?" The boy laughed. "Make me." The other children laughed too, but with hesitance and uncertainty. It looked as if they weren't so confident in the arrogant boy with the large stick, and they looked as if they were already regretting pestering and hurting the cat, Ggio thought with satisfaction.

Ggio sighed, then moved so fast the boy hardly had time to think. He kicked the stick out of his hand and twisted the boy's arms behind his back. He hooked an arm underneath his neck and growled, "That enough for ya?"

The boy's face was full of fear, and he glanced desperately at his friends who were shrinking away, looking as if they wanted nothing to do with the scene in front of them. A girl was whimpering, her eyes swimming with unshed tears as she hid behind her older sister, who glared at him warily. The boy looked back at Ggio, nodded, and was instantly let go of. He staggered, rubbing his neck, and the children scattered. He quickly took one look at the cat, scooped it up as it yowled and disappeared with the use of Sonido, leaving with a soft buzzing noise as the adults shouted and gaped.

He reappeared at the Squad Two barracks, the cat whimpering and cradled in his arms. Taking a closer inspection, he realised that there were several cuts along the cat's skinny frame, and they were all oozing a small amount of blood. He wrinkled his nose at the smell, and noticed it was breathing raggedly; taking short, shallow breaths due to the red cloth around its neck tied tightly enough to hinder its breathing. Its green eyes were filled with fear at what the Arrancar was going to do, and would have probably scratched, writhed and wriggled out of his grasp if not for the feline aura Ggio seemed to radiate. But he mewled his head off all the same and dug his claws into Ggio's arm as the Arrancar attempted to hide him when a few ninjas passed by. They glanced at him quizzically, and the kitten was squirming behind him as he grinned awkwardly and shuffled away.

The kitten yowled, struggled and eventually went limp, much to Ggio's relief as he made to hold it normally again, but paused. No kitten.

There was no matted fur and ragged breathing, and the smell lingered but was less strong. The gears in his mind whirred and almost went into overdrive as he panicked and started looking around feverishly for the cat, only to hear shushing and soft mewls coming from around the corner. He sighed and rounded the corner, expecting to see a cat thief but froze.

Soifon was sitting on the ground, cradling the kitten and cooing nonsensically to it, tickling its belly with one finger and drawing it back when the kitten batted at it with its paws. She didn't seem to notice Ggio standing there, motionless, and continued playing with the kitten, now content and slightly sleepy. Ggio had turned around, but she suddenly spoke up. "Ggio. Is it yours?" She sounded wary, as if the events of the other day were still playing over and over in her head.

"Uhh..." Ggio swallowed, unsure of how to approach her. "I found it in Rukongai being abused by a bunch of children."

Soifon sighed, scooping the kitten up gently, taking care not to injure it more as it let out a few quiet squeaks. It snuggled closer to her, purring softly, and Soifon looked fondly down at it. Ggio tentatively reached out a hand to let the kitten sniff at it, but it instead growled and batted at it with unsheathed claws. He drew his hand back, wincing slightly as the claws pricked his hand. A small smile crept over Soifon's face as she watched and petted the cat, scratching behind its ears and under the chin. But she seemed to realise Ggio watching, and quickly masked it with a disinterested mask. "We need to wash it," she said brusquely.

"We?" Ggio asked slowly, "But the facilities-"

"There's a private one in the office," Soifon said quickly, the snoozing kitten wrapped in her arms. It had curled up to the folds of her haori and had already made some small holes in her sleeves. "Come on." Ggio followed her to the office, listening to the soft purrs of the kitten and wondering how it liked her more than himself, despite the obvious feline similarities. And, if Soifon had already forgotten about the past events.

"Shit!" Ggio hissed as he tried to drop the cat into the sink, which was a few centimetres filled with warm water, but the cat still hissed and screeched and refused to get in, thrashing and struggling with its claws dug into Ggio's arm. Its hind legs flailed, splashing water everywhere, and even Soifon had an irritated look on her face as she leaned back to avoid being splashed. Ggio, however, got a faceful of water and whatever the cat's feet had stepped in. "Disgusting," he muttered. He once again tried to lower the cat into the water, but the cat dug its claws into his hand even more and it was now both of them hissing angrily, one out of pain and the other out of fear.

Soifon watched with disinterest as Ggio once again attempted, and finally said: "Why don't we just wipe him down with a wet towel?"

Ggio stared at her with rivulets of blood running down his arms, dumbstruck, the kitten in his hands hanging limp with his hind legs dangling in mid-air; he gave a mewl that finally snapped Ggio out of his shock. "Why didn't you say that earlier?" he snapped.

"It was funny."

The cat opened its mouth to cry out before being enveloped and wiped with clean white towel, soaked with warm water. Some blood - whether it was the cat's or Ggio's was unclear - rubbed onto the towel and the cat shrieked louder, but eventually was gently rubbed dry by Soifon with another, cleaner towel. The cat's fur was now standing up and rubbed around messily from being dried with the towel, and it was clean at least. The cuts still had to be treated, and the red cloth around its neck was too tightly tied to remove.

Soifon huffed in exasperation. "I can't get it off!" she cried, arms hanging beside her as she gave up on untying the knot in the cloth.

"I think you got the easier job!" Ggio gritted, wincing as the cat struggled and mewled.

"Oh, let go of him and you try," Soifon snapped, nudging Ggio out of the way and taking hold of the cat. Ggio shrugged and went to try and undo the knot, but had less luck than Soifon.

"Hold on, I'm getting something to cut it with," he grumbled, turning and making his way out, closing the door quietly behind her. Soifon and the cat glance at each other bemusedly before it batted at its own tail playfully, already bored with the wait. Soifon glanced around at the mess in the bathroom with growing despair at the muddy water on the floor, and Ggio returned, this time with a large knife. The cat immediately yowled loudly and writhed in fear, while Soifon looked horrified.

"You can't use that to cut the cloth; it's too big!"

"It was all I could find!" he snapped back. "Hold on." He inched closer to her and the cat, flinching as the cat flailed its paws, trying to swipe at him with its claws. Soifon watched on, wary and on edge if anything went wrong.

The kitten's struggles grew stronger as he drew closer and the knife drew under the cloth. Soifon flinched slightly as their skin made contact, but Ggio didn't seem to notice. She berated herself for acting like this, and staggered as the cat screeched and thrashed around, and then the cloth was cut open; the damp red fabric laying on the edge of the basin, several dark stains on it.

The cat grew limp, whimpering slightly, and Ggio heaved a sigh. It hadn't been easy dodging the cat's blows and swipes while trying to avoid slicing into something with the knife, and Soifon agreed; she was still shaken from when she almost lost her grip on the damp black fur and let it fly into Ggio's face with the rage of a storm. The cat was just glad it hadn't gotten its neck sliced open. It wriggled out of Soifon's grasp and pranced out of the door, the two watching it.

"I think it was genetically male."

"Oh?" Soifon kept her gaze fixated on the cat as it sniffed around, completely unbothered by its scratches and cuts. "What do you suggest we name it?"

"Uh..." Ggio thought for a moment. His brain seemed dead. "...Kuro?"

Soifon blinked and nodded. Come to think of it, Kuro looked a lot like Yoruichi, except just with green eyes. He also acted like it, judging from the way Kuro sauntered around the room like he owned it. She suppressed a smile at how Kuro disliked having Ggio touch him, but was fine with her despite the fact she had nothing to do with cats other than being extremely over-obsessed with them.

Soifon had a new follower that day. Everywhere she went, Kuro trailed in her footsteps eagerly. His paws pattered on the ground after hers, and people began wondering if this was somehow Shihoin Yoruichi's nephew or something. They never knew if a small adorable animal was somehow going to transform into a nude Shinigami, and they'd rather not.

Kuro had been a boisterous little kitten after his wounds had been treated, and he appeared to be around 8-9 weeks, according by Captain Unohana. Kuro had been a little shaky on his feet but he appeared to be doing well. He constantly tried to catch and pounce on Soifon's cloth-covered braids, batting his paws at them before falling backwards and springing up again. It just depended on what mood she was whether she found it annoying or endearing, and most of the time she enjoyed watching Kuro play.

And then he slept a lot, even more than he played. She'd often come into the office and find a sleeping black kitten curled up on her chair or desk, snoozing and purring quietly. Kuro had not taken to Ggio much ("Ungrateful fuzzball," Ggio often muttered, "I saved him,") and preferred the quiet company of Soifon. Perhaps he found Ggio intimidating, or just didn't like the big-cat aura the short Arrancar seemed to radiate. But either way Ggio was shunned by the small black cat.

Soifon sighed as she scooped up the dozing kitten for the umpteenth time and laid him down in a basket filled with soft, downy blankets with surprising tenderness; she wasn't known for being a soft and cuddly person (although Yoruichi had plenty of fond memories from when Soifon was a young girl), and heard a sigh from the doorway. She looked up from the heap of black fur to Ggio's placid face, which was staring at the floor. He leaned on the doorframe and seemed to be deep in thought, as if he wasn't even there but in another time, or another memory.

She took a breath and blew it out through her nose. Standing up, she awkwardly rubbed at her arm. She saw his sleeves were rolled up and an assortment of Band-Aids on his own. She cleared her throat, seeing his glazed-over eyes suddenly focus, flit to her face then faintly smile. He pushed himself off the doorframe and clasped his hands together. "Well," he began awkwardly, "This didn't really start well, seeing as…" He trailed off, glanced at her again, and continued, "Well, _that _happened 'n' all that, but we could be friends? Acquaintances at least?"

He extended a hand, and Soifon blinked, gaze drifting down to his outstretched palm and took it hesitantly, shaking it and letting go almost immediately. "Yeah…" she muttered, head ducked. Her head was swimming from that other encounter. Saying that they had a little disagreement was a huge understatement, and she preferred to work alone, but seeing as he already knew, she might as well give it a try. "Friends, then," she said with an amount of uncertainty. A crooked half-smile spread over his face, and his eyes flickered downwards to where Kuro stirred, blinking open his vivid green eyes and yawning.

"Well, see you later." He reached down and held out two fingers for Kuro to sniff; the cat batted at them with his paws and snapped viciously at Ggio and the Arrancar was forced to hastily retreat. Soifon stifled a snort, and Ggio turned on his heel and waved, disappearing down the corridor in a flash with Sonido and a soft buzzing sound. Soifon might have just made her first actual friend after Yoruichi left, not including the Shinigami Women's Association.

She had not realized she was staring at the empty space where he stood until Kuro tottered over to her, gave a large yawn, mewled and rubbed his head against her leg. She blinked and picked the kitten up, scratching him behind his ears and putting him down again when he wriggled. Kuro leapt out of her arms, wobbled on short, unsteady legs for a moment, then put one paw in front of the other and was soon running away. Soifon listened to the patter of his paws against the heated wooden floor (suitable for Yoruichi and cats in general), the light thump as he fell down, and then a rustling sound as Kuro shook out his fur and continued. She smiled faintly and went on her way.

-::-

Ggio reached the outside, slumped on the wall and breathed a sigh of relief. Making friends (somewhat) with her was daunting, but surprisingly easy, and would take him one step closer to achieving his goal for Barragan so that the old fart would get off his back. Ggio snorted. Shinigami and humans, and their concept of feelings and a heart. All that was rubbish. Or at least he used to think so. Now he had doubts about doing this, because for once he considered what would happen at the end, and it would have been awfully cruel… But, right now his priorities were Barragan first, Soul Society second.

A bulky man passed him, his hair tied into an extremely odd style, but Ggio took no notice. The man settled down to talk with his friends on his Soul Pager a couple of metres away, talking loudly enough for his voice to cut into Ggio's thoughts. Ggio glanced at him irritably, and started walking away, eyes narrowing as the man absently followed, immersed in his extremely loud conversation about yakitori and dinner.

He quickened his pace, breaking into a light jog and taking off, he once again disappeared, leaving a faint buzzing sound as he disappeared to a nearby rooftop, clearly not wanting to be followed. The man, he saw with annoyance, closed his Soul Pager the moment he landed and walked away. The left side of his chest and abdomen was bare. Ggio gave a hiss of annoyance as he seemed to recall who it was.

* * *

><p><strong>I was lazy. Sorry.<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**HOLY HELL THIS CHAPTER IS HELLA LONG. Just sudden bursts of inspiration and rushed hammering the keyboard lest the motivation escapes me. Thanks for the support guys :'D**

Why Indeed?

Tatsufusa Enjoji scowled angrily watching that midget pretty-boy disappear from view as he shoved his Soul Pager in a pocket. He let his braids down from that ridiculous get-up (unbeknownst to him, people privately thought it was better tied up - his two braids looked downright terrible) and stomped away. His hairstyle was a tribute to his beloved, who had two plaits herself but sadly she never seemed to notice him. He swore one day he'd get her to realise instead of longingly gazing after her then panicking when she drew close. He planned to get her something, perhaps chocolate, but paused. Did she even like chocolate?

Right now, Soifon was sitting cross-legged on the floor, playing with Kuro and watching the kitten wobble around on unsteady legs, no idea that some third-seat from Squad Eight was fawning over her. If she had, she would have found it extremely creepy and avoided going near said person, making him extremely sad.

Enjoji paced and paced. The Arrancar had spoken disdainfully about his Soifon, and also acted as if she wasn't a great catch! But they shared an uncanny resemblance, and he couldn't shake off his suspicions that he was moving in on _his_ girl... even if she didn't know he existed... But that didn't matter. Enjoji wanted to take extra precautions on his way to Captain Soifon's heart, and first he needed to eliminate the annoying Arrancar.

He just had no idea how. Maybe what he'd said was true. But still. He remembered last time they'd fought each other, and Soifon seemed to be extremely angry with him. Enjoji smirked in satisfaction at remembering the look on his face, and suddenly felt glad he wasn't in the same Squad. Soifon probably would have gotten so mad at him as well, and he didn't want to make her mad.

He began ambling down the pavement, sparking odd glances from other Shinigami as he stroked his chin thoughtully, his two braids swinging stiffly behind him. They were but a feeble imitation of Captain Soifon's raven strands, plaited and wrapped elegantly with white cloth. They were much longer and neater than his; his own were hastily put into place by large clumsy fingers unused to crafting delicate items... As Enjoji mused, his thoughts strayed and sparked an idea!

His thoughts had been in fancy and poetic language, and he needed to put that into use. He would write her a poem! And not just any poem, but the best poem ever, a romantic poem that would spark the fires of her heart and awaken the deep primal desires inside every soul, and make her heart his. Enjoji almost swooned at the thought of Soifon falling deeply in love with him, attracting even more confused glances. He sped up, hurrying back to his barracks in search of the finest ink, brushes and parchment.

-::-

A few hours later, a very confused messenger was bumbling around the Squad Two barracks. Enjoji had at first decided to find her and recite it to her himself in rich melodic tones, but had instead chickened out and sent a messenger to do it, providing a hasty, crude description of the one he had fallen so hard for. He had also scrawled out the recipient's name on the envelope, but it was hard for the messenger to read as Enjoji had been embarrassed and spent as little time as he could near the one delivering his message, running away in shame once he'd sent the messenger off.

A short figure was walking down the path, and the Riteitai messenger hurried up to him. "Excuse m-" He paused. This person seemed to fit the requirements. Short black hair that was long and braided at the end... Shining eyes and a petite frame... She looked very feminine. "Excuse me, ma'am!"

"Ma'am?!" The girl turned around furiously, and then the messenger realised, too soon, that he had forgotten to wear his glasses that day and in fact the person in front of him was _not_ a female Shinigami, but a male Arrancar, and he seemed very ticked off.

He gulped. "Not ma'am, but, er, her! No, sir!" He slapped himself, shaking his head. "Sorry, I'm not feeling too well today," he gabbled, "And please send this to... hmm..." He squinted, "Sai Fom?"

Ggio snorted, more than a little disgruntled. It had not been the first time someone had mistaken him for a girl, and it probably wouldn't be the last. "Fine," he grumbled, plucking the envelope from the messenger's hand; he knew who it was addressed to, even though they had mispronounced the name, and walked off, the messenger uttering a hasty and terrified thanks. It was only until the Arrancar had disappeared using Sonido - or whatever those Hollows called their fancy Shunpo substitute - that he had forgotten to tell him who it was from.

Ggio took one disinterested glance at the envelope and pocketed it, shuffling over to Soifon's office. Now that she had acknowledged him as 'not just a stupid enemy', there was less chance of him being yelled at whenever he did something wrong but he still had to tread carefully.

Making his way over to the office, he casually opened the door, saying, "This message just arrived for you, via Riteitai messenger." He squinted. "This messenger's pretty shit at writing actually." He paused, glancing up. "Hm?"

Soifon was immersed in a book on cats, the cover filled with colourful illustrations of kittens, a string tied around the end of her shoe with a feather at the end; she shook her ankle, causing the feather to swing around wildly and Kuro to fall on his back, flailing around and attempting to hook his claws into the infernal thing.

Ggio sidled over to her, peering over her shoulder at the book. She seemed not to notice, focused on an article detailing how to look after kittens, and he remarked, "This looks interesting, but I don't think the author knows how hyperactive Kuro is."

She flinched, noticing his head was positioned next to hers and he was in extremely close proximity, and muttered, "On average, it said," she closed the book, "And Kuro's not exactly alive so it might not affect him." Wriggling around, the string fell from her foot and landed right into the clutches of the dark-furred kitten, who began to tear into it viciously, fur bristling as he did so. Soifon watched it for a moment, unable to meet his gaze. What was wrong with her?

Ggio seemed to notice this, for he smiled crookedly. "I've got a message for you - received it from one of those Riteitai messengers and it might be important," he held it out of her reach as she swiped for it, Kuro mewing loudly, and went on, "But I'll give it to you only if..." He puckered his lips mockingly, laughing as he dodged an open-handed blow and dropping the envelope on her desk.

She opened it, a little disgruntled, and froze, eyes travelling over the paper in horror. "What the..."

"What is it?" Ggio asked, mildly worried, "Was it actually something important?" He bent over to look and stifled a snicker. "Ha? Looks like you-"

"Shut up," Soifon snapped, flicking him in the face with the paper. He dodged, chortling, and she scrunched the whole thing up, tossing the ball in the bin. Kuro sat bolt-upright, ears pricked as the sappy, embarrassing piece of writing was left for garbage, never to be touched again. Kuro padded over, sniffing curiously at the weird container he had somehow never noticed before. Shifting her attention away from the black kitten, she turned to Ggio, who was still gasping for breath with tears in his eyes. He sat up, giggled shakily and out of breath from the hilarity of Soifon's mortified face and the love poem, and asked, a wicked grin spreading over his face, "Who was it from? I wanna torture the poor soul."

Soifon shrugged, the tips of her ears a bright red colour, "I don't know. Some nobody, I guess."

Neither of them noticed the small black heap of fur leaping out of the bin and carrying a scrunched-up ball of paper with him as he padded out of the room.

-::-

Enjoji was nervously pacing outside the Squad Eight barracks. Inside his inebriated captain was lying on the floor and being reprimanded by the strict lieutenant. A group of laughing men passed him by, "Nice one, Third Seat!"

"Huh?" Suddenly he was drenched in sweat. Had Soifon been disgusted with his poem? And he'd worked so hard on it! He was nervously biting his nails as he crept closer, ears pricked for their conversation.

"Haha! Some squirt found this by the bins when he was playing with a cat. Well, the cat ripped his hands up, but look at this!" one of the burly men chortled, smoothing out a crumpled piece of parchment. Enjoji gulped as he realised what it was. His poem.

"Your eyes light up like the evening sky, your hair is as dark as the midnight... What the fuck is this?!" This was followed by more laughter, and Enjoji realised that Soifon must not have liked his poem, and these men obviously found it funny. He considered storming over to them and giving them a piece of his mind but when they read out another line from his piece of art in a sickeningly sappy tone, he shrank away, fainting onto the ground.

-::-

Ggio was still wiping tears of laughter from his eyes afterwards, much to Soifon's annoyance. He seemed so different from that other time. She sighed, turning her head exasperatedly away, watching an angry Kuro totter in, fur puffed out and looking like a murderous black pom pom. He was accompanied by another larger, sleeker black cat, well balanced on long, slender legs, tail raised contently above her. Unlike Kuro, her eyes were a vivid gold colour, not unlike Ggio's she noted.

"Yoruichi-sama!" Soifon rose from her chair and walked past Ggio, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor, still suppressing silly giggles from the sappy poem - she was tempted to give him a good kick - and crouched low in front of Yoruichi. "What is it?"

Yoruichi flicked her tail and spoke in a raspy, deep masculine voice, "I found this kitten outside," she flicked Kuro's head with her tail and he scrabbled to bat at it, "He claimed he was with you and Ggio." Yoruichi blinked, her eyes showing signs of amusement. "Although he doesn't seem to like Ggio much-" Ggio sat straight up and looked over -"he referred to him as the cat-impostor rival."

Ggio shot a glare at the innocent-looking black kitten, and Kuro blinked back, completely unabashed. Soifon smirked, then turned back to Yoruichi. "Anything else?" she inquired. Yoruichi got up and paced around, eventually padding over and rubbing her head against Soifon's limp hand.

"I've got the results, and I'm returning to the Human World soon," Yoruichi rumbled, curling up against a now seated Soifon and letting the petite woman scratch her behind her ears. "I'm glad we settled everything between us," she murmured, tail twitching, eyes narrowed in contentment. Kuro, wanting in on the cuddles, ran over on unsteady legs and curled up against Yoruichi, adding to the pile of black fur.

Ggio glanced over, not wanting to intrude on the scene, and saw two pairs of eyes from the black heap; one lucid green and one a vibrant gold like his own. "So you finished your studies on the Arrancar?"

"Yep." Yoruichi stood, and with a shake of her fur, stepped daintily away, running her tail along Soifon's arm. "Now I've got to go," she nuzzled Soifon, "Goodbye!" She padded out of the room, Kuro staring blankly after her. After a long silence, he gave a long, plaintive mew. Unsatisfied with the half-hearted pet on the head he stormed off, staggered for a moment then went on his way defiantly, jumping up and landing on Soifon's chair. She made a silent note to herself never to let him see the secret tunnel beneath it, or to let him see Yachiru exit it after one of her Kuchiki Manor raids.

She found Ggio staring down at the ground blankly. Something seemed off about him. His brow was creased and his mouth was pursed into a small, severe line, and he seemed deep in thought. She opened her mouth to say something, and he immediately permed up, usual grin stuck in place instead of the passive expression only about... 37 seconds ago.

There came a sound of Kuro's mewling, and Soifon rose to investigate. Perhaps he had found the secret tunnels; Soul Society forbid he ever went down to explore and bump into Yachiru while he was at it. She had just picked Kuro up, the kitten curling up in her arms without complaint, when there was a soft click of the door closing. The silence that followed was punctuated by Kuro's soft purring as she scratched behind his ears.

-::-

Ggio had just walked outside, shutting the door as quietly as he could behind him. The gentleness that Soifon handled cats with was surprising, as there was many a time he had witnessed her addressing the Onmitsukidō in training procedures, the result being the ninjas quavering in their shoes from her fearsome glares. It had been quite a while since he'd had his meeting with Barragan, and perhaps he should go again.

Hopping lightly along the rooftops, his clothes rustled and flapped with the wind rushing past him as he leaped. He was unaware of a figure watching him, a snoozing kitten in her arms and a slightly wistful look in her silvered brown eyes.

He passed many people, Shinigami and Arrancar alike, on his way to the forest. Everything seemed quiet save for the faint crashes and bangs in the distance, but that was an everyday occurrence with the rowdy Arrancar meeting the violent men of Squad Eleven. At last he reached the forest, thick leaves rustling and seeming to whisper and branches waving in the wind, seeming to beckon him. He blinked, diving into the undergrowth without a second thought.

He located the buzzing dome in almost no time, as his sensitive ears had picked up the sound before he even saw the flickering light. He approached warily.

"It's been quite a while," Barragan rumbled, shifting on his throne. There was a piercing pain at the back of Ggio's head, and he found himself marching forward. "You have doubted me?

He stayed silent, though his head ached and his legs tingled. He seemed to have no control over them, and the headache grew more painful, as if there was a rope attached to a fragment of his head and someone had tugged violently on it.

"Answer me..." Barragan growled, pulling Ggio forward still. Three figures stood silently around him. There was a pile of junk beside him, and two hunched bodies were scrabbling about it, searching for something. There were more of the little cloaked figures maintaining the dome, and a few of them gave the occasional squeak.

Ggio's mouth tasted like cardboard, and it felt as dry. His throat was like sandpaper, but he still cleared his throat and rasped, "Occasionally I despaired about the task."

"Hm..." The pain Ggio was experiencing lessened slightly and he subconsciously rubbed his left shoulder, unaware he was running his hand along a silvery, jagged scar underneath his sleeve.

"It's going well... kind of..." Ggio stumbled over his words, dread and fear washing over him as Barragan released a slight wave of Reiatsu. He shivered, a few spots on his flesh stinging slightly, and continued, "I'm no longer unwelcome in the office... and I was somewhat accepted after I brought back a kitten..."

"A _kitten_?!" Barragan boomed, Reiatsu lever growing higher and the done wavering slightly. There were a few yelps from the small cloaked figures; the three standing around Barragan flinched and stumbled slightly and the two hunched Arrancar - he presumed - paused in their rummaging and raised their heads before searching again. "You think this is a _joke_?!" There was a searing pain in his head and Ggio fell to his knees. He was dimly aware that the pile a short distance away held a few sake bottles... He could make out the number 10 and 8 written across a few of them... A broken white stick was also laying in the pile, a cloth attached with red, white and blue markings on it. It seemed familiar somehow.

The smooth, ceramic sides gleamed in the light of the Reiatsu-generated dome fused together by the many small Arrancar, presumable terrorised into submission by Barragan. Ggio clutched his head, which felt as if someone was hammering away inside it, but before he could raise his head to glance desperately at his master his arms were wrenched away by Barragan's power over Ggio, a weaker hollow than him. Barragan asserted his Reiatsu at the writhing form of his former Fraccion, making him stand wide open and hissed, "Do not fail me."

Ggio raised his head to glance at Barragan emptily, but Barragan aimed a kick to his ribs, driven by a sudden burst of rage, and Ggio collapsed, both from the force and Barragan's attack on his mind, powerful Reiatsu worming its way into his consciousness and knocking him to the ground and he curled up in pain.

There were a few whispered commands, as well as a surge of Reiatsu and a cloud of dust. A small form crouched low to the ground, several long limbs snaking out from behind it. Ggio heaved and panted, arms thrown instinctively around his head to protect himself, his lips curled in a slight snarl showing his teeth. It seemed as if his hair had spiked up, and he seemed to be bracing himself for another attack. Barragan snorted and thumped him with the butt of his battle-axe. Bending down to grab the collar of his uniform hatefully, he regarded the smallest, scrawniest and weakest of his Fraccion. His cold eyes scanned Ggio's drawn-in form balefully, eyes narrowed as he dangled him in mid-air like a human would hold a feral cat. His hand tightened on the scruff of Ggio's collar, and Ggio had never seemed more like a scraggly, dishevelled stray.

Snorting, he tossed his former Fraccion aside, ignoring the dull thud as Ggio hit the side of a tree and fell down, skin scraped by the bark. It was nothing compared to what he'd done to him back in Las Noches when he'd been disobedient and screwed the whole hollow-hunting plan up with his pitiful attempt to please his master. Several minor hollows, small ratlike creatures, scurried over at the scent of the blood of one of their own. More jumped out from the holes in the pile of junk, much to the disgust of the hunched form beside it, who had ceased rummaging. A few clawed curiously at his arms, squeaking, then scattered as he groaned and shifted.

Barragan grunted and motioned to the squatting figure in the corner. Ggio was lifted up by many smooth, tubular limbs and carried out of the forest, dumped unceremoniously outside the wall of Seireitei. One of the gatekeepers took pity on his battered form, recognising him, and picked him up effortlessly, dropping him gently inside the walls.

-::-

When Ggio came to, he was momentarily confused, his mind blank, and then he recalled what had happened. Someone must have transported him inside. He winced at the pain in his side and sat up, rubbing his head. He was inside the walls of Seireitei, that was for sure... Who'd aimed a vicious kick to his side though? Last thing he remembered was having a talk to Barragan.

Hobbling over to a building, he leaned on it for a moment before continuing, the ache in his side growing steadily more painful until he was forced to sit down, gasping. His back hurt. There were many scratches on his arms and face and his hair was tangled, falling beside his face like a matted curtain of black. Examining his forearms, he found that the sides of his arms were scraped and he had a splinter near his wrist. Plucking it out with a wince, he puffed up his cheeks discontentedly and blew out air; picking himself up he continued on his way, the dirty scratches on his arms stinging and his side flaming like someone had taken a large stone to it and beat him... Strangely enough, the concept seemed familiar as if he'd experienced it, which made him uncomfortable.

Ggio limped into the barracks, clutching his side and breathing heavily. He at last reached Soifon's office, and slumped down outside the door, face contorted in pain as his side and back screamed in agony. He scrubbed his scraped arms with his sleeve rolled down over his hands, but only succeeded in getting faint smears of blood on his white uniform, which was already quite dirty with fragments of tree bark, small dried leaves and dirt.

The door cracked open, Kuro pushing at it with his head. Nose twitching, he hobbled over to Ggio, nudging his arm aside and worming his way underneath, purring softly as Ggio stroked his side. Kuro's eyes were half closed, showing slivers of bright green, and he wriggled to be closer to Ggio, burying his head in the white fabric.

He felt comforted by the fact that Kuro felt at ease snuggled to his side, snoozing peacefully. His pain was more bearable now, and he wondered what would happen if anyone found them. Eventually, the faint vibrations of Kuro's purring, combined with the warmth of the late afternoon, convinced his eyelids to droop. Ggio struggled to keep awake but finally closed his eyes, Kuro creeping into his lap and curling up, his warmth and weight a steady reminder he had one of his own with him.

-::-

The door opened soundlessly once again, Soifon peering outside. She'd heard Kuro's now loud purring, clearly able to be heard within the room where she was working quietly, filling out and editing reports.

She glanced down at Ggio's battered form and huffed. It looked as if he'd been in a fight, even though she hadn't been able to sense it. She could see that he was wounded, and might have had more injuries. The cuts on his arms were going to get infected as they had a fair amount of dirt and grime in them, they might not have looked seriously but looks could be deceiving. They'd all learnt that once Aizen had cast away his 'kindly scholar' facade and revealed himself as a traitor. All this rushed through her head as she stood, gazing down at his immobile form, chest rising and falling with every breath he took. Kuro was still purring, although he had decreased in volume, and the two of them looked almost sweet.

Looking more at his face, Soifon found herself thinking that he looked peaceful and completely different, his vibrant eyes were closed, and his face didn't have its sarcastic element of brow creases and impertinent grins. He looked almost... agreeable. But once he woke up he'd be back to his usual infuriating self. Sighing, she glanced around furtively. No one in sight.

She grasped his arm and, keeping the door wide open behind her, dragged him in, Kuro mewing faintly in protest. Several small leaves and traces of dirt were left on the wall he had been leaning on. He hopped off, running to her feet as she pulled Ggio's unmoving form inside. Anyone watching might have found the scene... extremely odd... but there was no one around thankfully. Propping him up against the wall, she studied his arms. She'd have to clean the wounds. Walking into the bathroom, she took a clean towel, holding it under warm water so it was soaked, then twisting and squeezing the water out. She walked back to Ggio, gently dabbing at the wounds on his right arm - for some peculiar reason, some were deeper and more narrow than others, as if some small creature had taken its claws to him. He didn't wake up just yet, and Soifon was grateful. She flushed at the thought of what would happen if he - or anyone else for that matter - witnessed this.

She hoped that he'd stay asleep through the whole ordeal but once she busied herself with cleaning his left arm his eyes flickered open and he regarded her blearily. "Wha... Wuzzgoinon...?"

She gave a start, almost darting back but continued dabbing at his wounds. His eyes were clouded and he seemed half asleep.

"Wha're you doing...?" He raised a bandaged, patched up arm to his forehead. "Huh?"

"Shut up," Soifon muttered, lifting his other arm and bandaging it. Again, there were several scratches as if from a small cat, but she didn't think Kuro had done them. They looked longer and deeper than the kitten's little claws, and looked more vicious while the others looked like scrapes and grazes. Ggio looked blankly down at them, raising an arm to pick up a finely-wrapped plait, to the mild annoyance of Soifon. He examined it then dropped it absently, closing his arms again, wincing as he shuffled himself to the right slightly and his back and ribs flared up again. Soifon had noticed, and asked, "Was there anything else?"

"I think," Ggio began sluggishly as became more coherent, scrunching his brows together, "My right side and back... I hit the tree pretty hard..." he trailed off, unable to recall the exact details of anything further that may have occurred. Soifon looked fairly dismayed at the idea of him being flung through the air to land against a tree, and he cracked a faint smile. One of Barragan's cronies might have done it. "Wait what are you doing?" His voice rose as she raised her hands as if to strike him. Even Kuro started mewling.

"You'll see," came the reply. Soifon felt the warmth of healing Kido envelope her hands, and there was a faint green glow. Ggio leaned back against the wall as slowly, the pain faded, leaving him with only dazedness. The glow slowly disappeared also, and Soifon clasped her hands together, breathing deeply. Healing Kido wasn't the easiest to master, and it was easier for those Squad Four seated officers than it was for her, as she'd learned the basics and never indulged more in the subject.

Ggio blinked to clear his eyes, glancing up at her. "I have one question..." he said slowly, the gears in his mind gradually whirring to life, "Why?"

Soifon was taken aback by the question. Sure, she'd patched him up, but why? She wasn't sure herself of why she'd done this. "I..." she faltered. Ggio's lips curved upwards into a half-smile and he lifted his arm as Kuro wriggled under it again. They sat, staring at anything other than each other, and Soifon began, "Well... I have somewhere to go now..." She stood up and exited, shutting the door silently behind her. There was a soft click.

Ggio glanced blankly at the kitten curled under his arm, completely oblivious. "Why indeed?"

There was silence as Kuro just blinked up at him.

Ggio sighed. "Maybe it was just a whim."

"Miarr," the kitten agreed.


	14. Chapter 14

**Random thought: Halibel had a hollow hole in her womb, right? Maybe in her past life she lost her baby and... yeah... Maybe she died giving birth, and the baby died also. Goddamn this is depressing. And then she was chained to the hospital and became a hollow, formed as part of a Menos, and was the dominant Hollow, ascending to Vasto Lorde. Maybe she still had emotions for the baby, and that's what motivated her to become so powerful, and to adopt the three Adjuchas, Mila Rose, Sung-Sun and Apacci, because it as like having children...? No...? Well moving onto the story.**

Lost and Found

Soifon kept echoing the question in her head, even as she stormed through the barracks in a hurry. She'd checked to see him fast asleep with Kuro sitting on his head, both of them with peaceful expressions. Kuro's tail was hanging in his face. She, who could usually answer any question truthfully and honestly, be it an intellectual question or a personal one, found that she couldn't answer this one, even to herself where no one could hear.

Faces melded together into one blurred scenery with the background as she dazedly made her way outside. Pausing, thinking that something had slipped her mind, she rushed back inside quickly much to the confusion of one of her subordinates, leaving them bamboozled with the dazed, blank expression on her face. Completely out of character. Shrugging, the man turned away to go about his normal life.

She almost burst through the doors of her office when she remembered the curled up form in the corner, arms still bandaged with a kitten on his face. He grumbled something, spooking her for a moment, and she crept over to her desk to get her Soul Pager, a smart-looking black model with a tiny black cat decoration. She _knew _she'd forgotten something in her haste. As she searched, she wished she could speed things up but she took her time not to disturb Ggio, who was sleeping on the floor. Privately, she wondered how someone could sleep so peacefully on the cold hard wood; she herself had done it many times in training and minor missions, but it still bothered her when someone else did it. Or maybe he was used to it since he was a hollow. Hell, there was a freaking _couch _in the other corner of the room but he wasn't bothered to pick his ass up and move.

This ran through her mind, along with _why _as she opened shelves and rummaged through them, cursing the spare pieces of paper and scraps of rubbish. She really should clean out her place, but first, her Soul Pager. She lifted piles of paperwork and boxes, looked past her black cat figurines. She swore she had left it on her desk when patching the Arrancar up, but it wasn't there. She _remembered _it laying right in the middle of the wooden surface. it wasn't that round; it could have hardly rolled off, and the desk wasn't slanted, nor was it on the floor as she had checked.

Frustrated, she walked out of the room, wondering if she'd left it somewhere before she'd encountered Ggio's battered form outside her door. She still wondered why he'd dragged himself there while injured but not onto the couch when he was fixed up. Oh well. Her memory mustn't be as good as it was before, but she wasn't even that old. If Kyoraku could remember which secret hiding place he'd hidden his special sake, she'd be damned if she couldn't remember where she'd misplaced her Soul Pager._  
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The door closed, and Ggio cracked open an eye, smirking to himself. Hidden behind his arm was Soifon's Soul Pager. He'd gotten a pretty good look at Omaeda's (it was silver; a constant reminder of how rich and extravagant he and his family were), and knew that this sleek black model was Soifon's. Prying the dozing Kuro off him, he scooped the kitten up and laid him down in the basket. His hair smelt of kitten now. It wouldn't have been an unpleasant smell if Kuro hadn't left to go to the toilet a while ago before parking his hindquarters on Ggio's face. Wrinkling his nose, he sat up, eyeing the Soul Pager - or phone, seeing as that was what it resembled.

It was of big importance to Soifon. He could tell, from the way she'd searched every nook and cranny, sooner or later every crook and nanny, for it. He mused, the longer she was without it, the more grateful she'd be when she finally got it back, assuming she never found out he was the one who had taken it.

A little dirty, hurtful maybe, but effective nonetheless.

-::-

Soifon was growing more and more worried by the minute. Maybe more worried by the second. What if she received an urgent message? Sometimes Jigokuchō needed a break, seeing as they were creatures, not living of course, since it was in Soul Society - ah forget it. It was hard to explain this, even to herself. The concept of life and death itself was confusing, and everyone was caught in a never-ending loop.

Soifon leaped around the rooftops of Seireitei, dread increasing at the trouble she'd be in if the Captain Commander realized that a captain had forgotten their Soul pager and lost it somewhere, or worse, gotten it stolen. It was a serious offence. If it was an unseated Shinigami who'd lost it - fine. A seated Shinigami? Less fine. It grew more and more serious as the ranks grew higher. Soul Society forbid if the Captain Commander ever lost his, but judging from his age, tendency to already forget things, and occasional dozing off, it wouldn't be surprising if he left it in his office and forgotten about it.

"Hey!" Ah, look who'd joined her. She paused, landing soundlessly on the roof of some insignificant building. Ggio dropped down beside her, albeit less silently. "Whatcha doing?"

She was slightly annoyed as she answered, "Looking for my Soul Pager. I think I dropped it somewhere and didn't realize it." She turned away, angling her head to glance at the Shinigami below her.

Ggio gave a low whistle. "Clumsy, aren't we?"

The glare she shot at him was enough to make him stiffen and shut up.

She just sighed. "It might have fallen out of my pocket or something when I was leaping around... Mmph." She disappeared with the use of Shunpo, and Ggio was ready, landing next to her with a soft buzz. "Why are you following me?"

"I want to help," he replied earnestly, "After you bothered to heal me."

This brought forth a faint tinge of red to her cheeks, and she turned away, muttering, "It was nothing. You're a member of the division."

Ggio hadn't missed it. Sticking his hands in his own pockets - checking to see if her Soul Pager hadn't fallen out like she despaired it had done with hers - he pursed his lips. Finally, he said simply, "We better find it."

Soifon snorted. "No shit." Her eyes darted nervously from side to side, and she fidgeted with her sleeves, and Ggio realized with a pang he had misjudged how worried she was. She was more concerned about it than she let on, another trait he recognized in himself. Although she hid it with a mask of no-nonsense bitch face, which he had witnessed quiet a few times, he masked it with a crooked half-smile and impertinent jokes. Both were... surprisingly effective.

Ggio blinked. "Come on, let's go. Where have you been today?"

Soifon was nonplussed that he actually cared enough to stick around. Was this what friends did? Usually at the Shinigami Women's Association meetings they did nonsense that Rangiku and Yachiru thought up, occasionally sensible stuff when Nanao actually asserted her opinion, and she was left hanging around and trying to fit in awkwardly. Yes, she decided, this was what friends did. "I just wandered around Seireitei when I had free time, since I didn't need to deliver anything."

"Mhm..." Ggio stroked his chin with the air of a detective with a lifetime's worth of experience, "How did you travel?"

"Jumping around like a crazed monkey. I have to find it!" She tapped her foot anxiously.

"Okay then."

Without waiting for him, she hopped effortlessly from building to building, scanning the ground for any abandoned Soul Pager - Soul Society forbid it would be broken or stolen - and landed a distance away, Ggio on another building, looking for it as well. They scoured the area of Seireitei, until Ggio caught up with her. "Couldn't find it," he huffed, looking disgruntled.

Soifon drummed her fingers on the hilt of Suzumebachi. "Maybe try somewhere else." Without a warning, they both disappeared.

-::-

Soifon twisted her sleeves in her hands as her dread grew. Neither of them had found it. She could be fined a lot for this offence, and it would take a large chunk out of the division pay. The squad wouldn't get their earnings. That's how serious it was. She didn't want to deprive her subordinates of what pay they deserved for simple tasks like Konso and less simple tasks like killing hollows. It had happened quite a few times in the past, and the squads had almost gone on strike with less pay, and working overtime only to realize that wouldn't earn them any more.

Ggio noticed the worry in her eyes and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll find it," he reassured her. Soifon almost recoiled at the touch, glanced at him blankly, barely aware that her shoulder still tingled long after he had flown off. She was beginning to brace herself for the Captain Commander's wrath at such a simple mistake as the day dragged on into the night, and they still hadn't found it. She was also worried about the looks on her squad members' faces when she told them the news.

Ggio swore they searched all of Seireitei before the sun went down and it actually turned dark. Soifon was pale, and she kept drumming her fingers against any available surface, something Ggio noted to be a sign of stress and anxiety when she just wouldn't stop. Ggio's guilt slowly grew. She disappeared wordlessly, and Ggio checked inside his pockets - and froze.

He checked again. The Soul Pager wasn't there. Only empty fabric. In a panic, he floated in the air, checking his pockets frantically. Soifon was gone by now, but if she knew what he'd done, and that he was the one who really lost it... Ggio began to despair. He scoured the area, moving quickly with Sonido once he was done walking and looking in every potential hiding place, scanning the ground for any smashed black flip phones. At least he hoped it wasn't smashed.

He couldn't find it. He passed several of the dozing Gatekeepers, careful not to wake them. He could easily be mistaken for a Ryoka or a thief; basically any lowly sneak who wanted to do Seireitei harm. He hopped around the circular, organized city, snaps and buzzing sounds in his wake, but still couldn't find it. He snorted. As if it would be easy to find. How had he thought it would have been lying in the open?

Maybe some crows stole it, however unlikely that was. They did like shiny things. Maybe someone had picked it up and turned it in, but that wouldn't have been much better than losing it forever, he realized, his dread growing. She'd still get in trouble either way, and it would be his fault. Smacking his head again and again, he cursed. Why had he even gotten that crazy, stupid idea? He hadn't realized the consequences until she'd told him. Think first, act second. Yeah, he wasn't exactly good at that. "Fuck, _fuck, FUCK,_" he snarled to himself.

The moon was high in the air, a pale, round orb that glowed and bathed the city in cold moonlight. Stars glimmered. Only a few lights in the buildings were on, most of them were off as people needed sleep. But Ggio was used to keeping awake until the early hours in the morning, an old habit of his. Scanning the area once more, he sighed, cursed once more and disappeared, going back to his room in a cold panic.

Moonlight filtered in through the window, patches of white on the floor. The Gigai was propped up motionless against the wall, an unmoving gray form resembling a humanoid shape without hair or a face. But it still seemed to stare at Ggio accusingly - despite the fact the thing didn't even have _eyes _- and he glared at it. "What are you staring at?" he demanded in a low hiss.

The Gigai was unresponsive, just a life-size doll to harbour his soul in the Human World. It was probably taller than him, he thought grumpily, and would shrink to resemble him. Ggio crouched, hunched on his bed, luminous ochre eyes glowing in the darkness. He wondered if Soifon was fine. Last time he checked, she had trouble with all her bottled-up emotions. Once they became more familiar, she started expressing herself more, but still something bothered her at night, he guessed.

Ggio was right, in a way. Soifon was pacing, unable to sleep, worried out of her mind. She might have gotten a heap of messages from her subordinates when they were in the Human World taking care of Plus souls and Hollows, and unable to send a Jigokucho butterfly. Someone might have been dying, and she was unable to send help. How clumsy she'd been, having lost something as important as a Soul Pager. Even though it resembled the Human World phones - older models of course - their ones were far more important than theirs. Soul Pagers could mean the difference between life and death for a Shinigami facing enemies, and even though this happened to humans often, it wasn't everyday they were attacked by mindless monsters while rescuing someone or freeing someone's soul. It happened to piles of Shinigami every day as a part of their duties.

And her own squad members were highly trained in assassination, so they had the more skilled hollows. The fast ones of course, but there were still risks. And performing Konso on a chained spirit... If no one reached them fast enough, they would become a Hollow, a mindless monster bent on devouring their own family and loved ones, ad then after that innocent souls. Soifon felt a pang of guilt for all the hollows; they were only this way because the Shinigami had failed. Failed in their attempt to set the Plus souls free and send them to Soul Society. If they did their job perfectly, there would be no Hollows... But then again it wasn't possible. It was impossible to just have "no hollows", seeing as a few Hollows were pure-born; meaning they didn't transform from a chained Plus, they were birthed by a mother Hollow and sent straight into the Adjuchas form with no way of regressing, but it was possible for them to ascend to Vasto Lorde. They were rare, as female hollows were rare... And the mating ritual for hollows was unknown, and Szayel was too uncomfortable to share details.

Funny how one thought can lead to another, and then you think about something completely different. Soifon had almost forgotten about her missing Soul Pager, and then wondered how she'd gone from thinking about a Soul Pager to the birth of pure-born hollows. She briefly wondered where Ggio had his hollow hole, as usually it was visible, revealed by the Arrancar uniform. Arrancar such as Ulquiorra and Grimmjow displayed their hollow holes, and others like Nnoitra enjoyed playing the dramatic reveal card.

She huffed and rubbed her eyes. She'd look for it tomorrow, hoping it wasn't broken or stolen.

-::-

It was odd. Soifon had a dreamless sleep last night; the four or five hours she was asleep she didn't dream of anything. Suzumebachi was very pleased, and wouldn't shut up about it. _'Yeah, I know you lost your Soul Pager but at least you didn't get tortured by nightmares!' _She could almost imagine Suzumebachi flying around in figure-eights in their inner world. _'And he's nice enough to help!' _Suzumebachi materialized, hovering in front of her face. She batted her eyelashes cheekily. _'You sure you don't have any...' _She flitted closer. _'Feelings...?'_

She flew away cackling wildly as she dodged an halfhearted, open-handed swipe from Soifon, and faded away. Soifon wrinkled her nose, closing her eyes tightly. Ggio had been in her squad for what, a couple of months now? There was no way she could fall for someone she hadn't known for very long, nor could she fall for an _Arrancar_. Suzumebachi had been foolish and teasing when she had claimed Soifon returned the feelings Ggio appeared to be showing to her. She wasn't sure if he was fooling around or not, and she was cautious. For all she knew, he might have just been toying with her. Ha. There was no way that would work.

Suzumebachi had been wrong, Soifon decided, Ggio was only helping because she'd healed him after whatever had happened to him, because she supposed that's what friends did. _'Friends,' _Suzumebachi echoed in her head, and her tone was very doubtful of Soifon's adamant refusal to accept what Suzumebachi had presumed the start of a "wonderful relationship', as the small pixie called it.

Damn it, she wasn't some swoony human high school girl. She did _not _need some guy to sweep her off her feet. She was perfectly fine walking by herself, thank you. She changed into her shihakusho, her Onmitsukidō Corps Commander uniform underneath, and donning her haori over it. She staggered out of the office, fastening her yellow sash, still sliding her feet into her shoes, forgotten in her haste.

She stalked out and into her office, planning to write a note to notify Omaeda that she wouldn't be in office, sliding the door open, and was met with an astonishing sight. "You found it?!"

-::-

Oh the things Ggio would do for approval. He tracked down an unseated officer, a scrawny little boy even shorter than he was, since he had spotted Soifon's unmistakable Soul Pager. Who else would have a yellow-eyed, black-furred cat on a small keyring on it? A bee sticker stuck on the back, and seemingly hard to get off. He stalked the boy, staying silent and hidden in the shadows, not making a single sound. The boy was easy enough to follow at least, with a mop of pale blond hair.

Many a time the boy turned around to look, but Ggio was never there, instead hiding in some ingenious place; one of which had been in the midst of a crowd of Shinigami when hiding places were scarce. He had also made sure to be seen by as few others as possible. Thankfully, the phone was not broken, but the unseated Shinigami seemed on edge and paranoid, as if he didn't want anyone to notice he had the Soul Pager of a captain, and one of the more fearsome captains.

It would have been easier had he not been surrounded by others, and the black phone was in his hand. Ggio had followed him into the Squad Eight barracks, where the oy had breathed a sigh of relief and put it in his pocket. Ggio cracked his knuckles. If there was one thing he was good at, it was pick-pocketing from others; although there wasn't exactly much to steal in Hueco Mundo, there were valuable rocks, and small scraps of food that wasn't hollow and not some form of tea. The window was open, a curtain blew on the boy's head and Ggio froze, not daring to breathe, lest the boy notice him. The Shinigami just shrugged and continued on his way.

He followed the boy into what seemed to be a kitchen. Climbing noiselessly onto a shelf, he hid in the shadow, for once glad that he wasn't as tall or bulky as his fellow Fracciones. He waited until the boy was close enough, then reached down... A sudden movement forced him to recoil and hide as the boy spun around, thinking that there was an attacker behind him. Ggio held his breath as the boy shrugged and took out the Soul Pager, placing it on the counter. He thought he was safe, Ggio thought with a mental snicker, as the boy went into another room. Fearing that this might be his only chance, Ggio pounced, snatched up the phone-looking thing and rolled out of the room, scrambling to the same open window and leaping through it. He then made his escape, chuckling at what might have happened to the boy once he came back and realized.

Suddenly he realized that the lieutenant of Squad Eight was here, judging by her armband. She looked strict, with round glasses and hair tied up in a bun. She also happened to look in an extremely bad mood. Ggio shrank back, hiding behind a tree, keeping his breathing as scarce and soundless as possible. She was subconsciously releasing Reiatsu with a murderous, killing intent, and it chilled him to the bone.

Ise Nanao heard a few snaps and turned around suspiciously. Was this another thief? She was disgruntled as the thief had taken a few of her favourite books. She was so fearsome that even her captain had drawn away a bit, but that was probably just because his sake was missing. Her eyes were blazing as she looked around, and even Ggoio was terrified when he peered through the branches of the thick tree, careful not to make a sound that would incite her wrath. She looked around, then slowly took off her glasses, and the glare in which she looked around was enough to terrify Kurotsuchi Mayuri. Of course Ggio found it scary. Finally she huffed and walked inside, and he made it a few steps before he collapsed onto the ground.

-::-

Soifon breathed a huge sigh of relief and went to take it from him with trembling hands. "Thanks," she mumbled, fumbling in her haste to check what messages were on it. Luckily, none of her ninjas or squad members had fatal injuries, and they all seemed to be fine, just reporting on how they'd done. They governed over a different Human World city; Squad Thirteen took charge of Karakura and Squad Ten took charge of Naruki. "Thank you," she repeated.

Ggio nodded, still shaken up from that frightening encounter with Lieutenant Ise. Soifon pocketed the phone and, without thinking, leaned over and hugged Ggio briefly, her heart hammering in her chest, and withdrew herself. Slowly reddening, she disappeared through the open door with Shunpo, the door swinging in her wake. Ggio was standing stunned in the middle of the empty room, unable to process what had just happened. Maybe he had misjudged how much she minded losing it, and it had shaken her up pretty badly for whatever reason. She usually hated physical contact unless she was beating an opponent up, and even then she preferred to win with a minimum of touches. And she had taken it upon herself to give him a grateful hug, despite her dislike of hugs.

Suddenly he didn't regret taking the Soul Pager any more, and he would soon successfully be able to saunter up to Barragan, proclaiming that his mission was accomplished.

* * *

><p><strong>The holidays have begun, and I'm on a roll! It's a lot easier to be able to write now, instead of mulling around doing nothing, and motivation levels are high. Also, I find that going to the library and writing there is a nice change from sitting in my room all day. And also getting more sleep. Yey. Also I'm renaming the story to "Gaining Trust". Idk if that fits but it's better than Seireitei and Las Noches. I just got tired of that bland stupid thing.<strong>


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